Everyday wonder: on noticing the beauty in the ordinary
As the season begins to shift, I’m reflecting on the gentle practice of noticing the beauty woven through our everyday routines. There is a quiet magic in the ordinary—a subtle wonder that so often escapes our attention as we rush through the familiar patterns of our lives. Allowing ourselves to pause, to let our gaze linger on the play of sunlight across a kitchen table, or to notice the chatter of blackbirds at dusk, fleeting gifts which can easily get lost in the blur of busy days. These precious moments invite us to slow down and rediscover the richness hidden in plain sight.
I watched a film recently called Perfect Days. It follows the routine life of a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. As we accompany Hirayama, through his seemingly mundane and repetitive days, we are invited to experience, through his eyes, small moments of joy.
Komorebi, is a Japanese word that describes the way light filters through trees and there is a beautiful scene in the film where Hirayama sits in a park for his lunchbreak, watching the way the light dances and shimmers through the leaves above him and dapples the ground below.
As winter gives way to spring and the mornings grow lighter, can we take a moment to enjoy the birdsong before we pick up our phones, or begin to think about the tasks of the day ahead?
This morning, I noticed how the sunrise paints the white trunks of a group of birch trees a delicate salmon pink. Just for a few moments as I wake, at this point in the year when the sunrise coincides with my waking time, I can enjoy this gift. It helps me pause in my hurry to start the day and reflect on my tendency to move too fast through my days, pushing through to the next task, for something different, something new, and missing these precious moments of joy in the present…
In this world where speed and productivity are so valued, we get caught in the web of busyness, head down, nose to the grindstone, rushing along in our well-worn tracks as we strive to get through the endless to-do list. Too easy to forget to stop, take a breath and look around. The moments of our lives speed by too fast to notice those little gimmers of hope and joy which are quietly seeking our attention.
Life’s pure and spontaneous pleasures
There is no equivalent word in English for Komorebi, though some of our beloved poets and writers have found their own words to describe these lances of light which pierce the woodland canopy. In his poem Fern Hill, Dylan Thomas named it ‘windfall light’
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
and CS Lewis writes:
“Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are patches of Godlight in the woods of our experience.”
Tattered shards of peace and happiness
At times, merely being busy isn’t the reason we fail to notice these ordinary miracles. Sometimes it’s because the light has gone out of us. The heaviness of depression, grief or disappointment has settled over us like a heavy, dark, blanket, our bodies feel like lead, it takes every ounce of energy just to get out of bed. Day to day chores feel like an endurance test, we are trying to climb the mountain with an elephant on our backs again.
At these times, it’s like we are wired up to focus only on the negative, the ugly, the jagged. The gruelling things seem to claim our attention in ways that on lighter days, wouldn’t warrant more than a passing glance. We become mired in grey, unable to see the colours in our days.
The poet and novelist Charles Bukowski wrote about how as a nihilistic and often depressed young man, he shunned peace and happiness as signs of weakness, preferring to dwell in the darker, seedier, uglier aspects of life. As he aged, he found himself beginning to welcome these moments of peace, to allow them to soften, smooth out and change him.
cautiously, I allowed
myself to feel good
at times.
I found moments of
peace in cheap
rooms
just staring at the
knobs of some
dresser
or listening to the
rain in the
dark.
the less I needed
the better I
felt.
I welcomed shots of
peace, tattered shards of
happiness.
Glimmers of hope
The concept of ‘glimmers’ was introduced by Deb Dana, as part of polyvagal theory. Glimmers are described as micro-moments of joy in everyday life which help us to feel hopeful, happy and safe. These special moments create connection and regulation in our bodies, allowing the nervous system to move into a parasympathetic state, moving out of flight and flight, into a calm, relaxed state.
We have an inherent bias towards negativity and indeed the media we consume can constantly feed this bias, making us feel overstimulated and overwhelmed. One of the greatest things we can do to care for our mental and physical health is to override this bias and look for the good things in our lives. When we make the choice and develop the habit of looking for the glimmers in life, we can release stress, soothe our nervous systems and slowly rewire our brains.
An invitation to pause….
As we navigate through the ever-changing seasons of our lives, can we pause and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us in the present moment? Just as Hirayama in Perfect days found solace in the gentle dance of light through the leaves, we too can find peace and inspiration in the simple, yet profound, experiences of our daily lives.
I encourage you to take a step back from the hustle and bustle of life, to take some time to observe and reflect on the world around you. Whether it’s the warmth of the sun on your face, the sound of leaves rustling in the wind, anything that captures your attention and takes you out of your head, out of your busyness. These are the moments that can lift us when we feel low and deliver us into something lighter, more joyful and over time can bring balance and healing.
Journal prompts
- Recall a moment where beauty appeared unexpectedly, how did it shift my mood or perspective?
- Where in the rhythm of my day might I pause to allow myself to notice the natural world?
- At the end of the day, write down five glimmers you noticed. Simply list the glimmers or add a short description of the moment.
Charles Bukowski https://allpoetry.com/let-it-enfold-you
Dylan Thomas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBeh_U40Oe8
Perfect day film trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzZBbX5A1FA
Alexandra Stevenson MBACP is an experienced counsellor offering psychodynamic counselling and therapy in Hanley Swan in Worcestershire.
Contact Me
alex@alexandrastevensoncounselling.co.uk
Hanley Swan | Worcestershire