You know those days when everything just feels kinda gray? That was me last Tuesday. Got out of bed and realized I hadn’t really seen anything properly in weeks. Just rushing, you know? So I dug up this old book about noticing stuff and decided to try their “special eyes” thing for a week. Here’s exactly what I did, step by step.
Morning Walk with Sticky Notes
Day one started rough. Grabbed five sticky notes before walking the dog. My mission? Find one weird thing per sticky note. Simple? Felt stupid walking around staring at cracks in pavement. First note: Saw a tree root busting through concrete like some alien hand. Actually stopped the dog to look. Never noticed it before, and I pass that spot every damn day. Second sticky? Found a spray-painted smiley face on a dumpster. Gave me a chuckle. By sticky five…
- My habit: Head down, racing thoughts.
- What changed: Felt like lifting my chin physically unglued my eyeballs.
The Weird Squint Game
Wednesday, tried this squinting trick while washing dishes. Idea: Squint hard until things blur, then slowly open eyes halfway. Supposed to reset focus. Felt like an idiot standing there squinting at soap bubbles. But hold up – when I did it for real? My bubbly sponge suddenly had this insane geometric pattern I swear wasn’t there before. Took it slow – squint, hold, ease open. Did it five times. Eyes actually watered, and hey, I noticed dried sauce on a pan I missed while scrubbing. Felt my eyebrow muscles cramping later though. Go figure.
Thumb Wars Against Tunnel Vision
Thursday’s commute was the test. Stuck in traffic, feeling ragey. Remembered this thumb trick. Held my thumb up near my face, focused hard on the thumbnail ridges. Then, without moving my eyes, tried to notice stuff way out in the periphery – the guy picking his nose three cars over, a crooked street sign. Failed miserably first few tries. Tunnel vision’s a beast. But after like ten minutes? Started catching bits: A dent in that red Toyota’s door. A neon “OPEN” sign flickering weirdly. My neck got stiff from not turning my head, though.
Sound & Sight Mashup
Friday morning coffee run was different. Before leaving, just sat still for two minutes with eyes closed, listening. The damn fridge hum. A bird outside. Then opened eyes – had to match sounds to what I saw. That hum? Stared at the fridge vents. Bird chirp? Tracked a sparrow hopping on the fence. Wild. Sipping coffee later, actually noticed steam swirling up differently as cars honked outside. Weird connection clicked.
Bad Habit Shake-up
Biggest struggle: Remembering to actually DO it. Kept forgetting by Sunday. Stuck a note on my fridge: “WHAT WEIRD THING CAN YOU SEE RIGHT NOW?“. Monday morning, pouring cereal… bam. Saw a tiny, perfect hole punched in the box’s plastic liner. Who does that? Point is, without the note? Would’ve missed it completely. Grabbed a marker right there and wrote under my sticky note: “SAW CEREAL BOX ASSASSIN”. Felt like I won the damn lottery spotting that.
One week in: Still miss stuff constantly. Brain defaults to autopilot hard. But catching that dried hot sauce pattern, or a flickering sign? Feels like unlocking a secret level in this boring daily game. Gotta stick with it.
