How often do you miss seeing little things that are right in front of you? Last week I was at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, focused on bird watching. I stopped to talk to two folks who were at an overlook, peering down into the bushes. I asked them what they were looking at. Tiny Pacific Tree Frogs! I never would have seen them on my own. I was looking for birds, especially ducks and other water birds. Much bigger than frogs. I don’t know why these frogs caught their eye, but once I saw these two, I started seeing many other frogs in the bushes around the overlook.
Talking to this couple about the frogs changed my outlook that day. Some geese flew overhead as we were talking. One of them asked what’s flying over head. I responded Canada Geese. She said no—the sound is different, it’s higher. Later, I asked one of the refuge volunteers about the geese. They weren’t Canada Geese—they were Cackling Geese, a smaller goose that looks very much like a Canada goose, but with a higher voice! Because of my conversation with them, I also looked more closely at a field of what I assumed was full of Canada Geese. And I found there another surprise, the Greater White Fronted Goose, which migrates through this area. Before this trip, the Cackling Goose and the Greater White Fronted Goose were only pictures in my bird book. This couple opened my eyes that day to new things.
Where in your life do you need to open your eyes and see something new? Where are you assuming it’s just what you’ve seen before? Or perhaps, seeing something you’ve seen before but with new eyes? Where in your life do you need to listen more closely and hear something new or different? We make so many assumptions! Open your eyes, your ears, your heart to the newness around you.
