The mindfulness practice that’s under your nose
My daughter recently turned 17, and I created a neighbourhood scavenger hunt for her party.
And it TOTALLY transformed my daily walks, in incredible and unexpected ways.
I know I mentioned this recently in my email about walking meditations, but I wanted to dive into this particular experience to show you just how powerful something seemingly so simple can be.
A fun birthday activity became so much more
My daughter wanted something fun that she could do with her friends for her birthday.
We discussed all kinds of ideas, but finally settled on a scavenger hunt around our local streets.
Such a wholesome party activity, that’s for sure!
Being the one who walks our dog every day around our neighbourhood, it was up to me to put together a list of things for them to look out for.
There were two stages to this process, and both of them totally changed how I experienced these walks.
Spending time really noticing my surroundings
The first stage was finding things.
Paying attention to what was actually present in the front yards and streets in our local neighbourhood meant that I was finally being present during my walks.
Instead of zoning out and ruminating on whatever latest thoughts I was pre-occupied with, I had to pay attention to what was right in front of me.
I noticed just how many caravans and basketball hoops there were in such a small area.
I noticed the interesting plants and letter boxes.
I noticed the renovating trends and varying states of front gardens.
I was actually SEEING things.
And I wanted to find interesting things to add to my list.
Not the things that are run-of-the-mill, but the remarkable, noteworthy-yet-mundane things that were right there under our noses.
Like the dinosaur statues, or the koi fish pond in someone’s front yard, or the shed shaped like a barn (and in suburbia too).
Finding everything I possibly could
And then the second stage, once I had my list of things, was to play my own scavenger hunt, finding as many instances of everything that I could.
And this stage turned up the intensity even further.
I really had to pay attention if I wanted to spot ALL of the things.
Like the Santa Claus legs sticking out of someone’s chimney, or a cat sitting in a driveway, or the two houses with incredibly ornate front doors.
I worked through my list of around 60 items over the course of a week, taking a photo every time I spotted something.
(Toby got sick of me stopping so often. I call it payback for all of those tree pees! 😂)
And I kept seeing more and more and MORE.
I couldn’t believe the things I’d never seen before
I was flabbergasted at just how many interesting things were sitting right under my nose, the entire time, that I’ve simply never seen before.
Even though I’d been walking these same streets for months.
Just never noticed them.
So stuck in my own head.
I also noticed that I couldn’t do two things at once.
For example, I couldn’t look for things hanging off the power lines and look at people’s front yards.
I couldn’t watch the footpath for graffiti, and pay attention to the cars going past.
But equally, and more importantly, I couldn’t stay stuck in my own head AND tick things off my list.
It was a powerful reminder of the fact that we also can’t feel two opposing things at once.
You can’t do two opposing things at once
We can’t be angry and happy at the same time, or fearful and grateful. or curious and withdrawn.
So any practice that forces us to be present, crowds out all of the anxiety, and worries, and fears, and frustrations, and impatience, and the blah.
I had to stay present constantly, and my walks became SO much more enjoyable.
Because I was just there, in the moment, paying attention and noticing.
The birthday party is done and over, and I kind of miss the intensity of presence that doing my own scavenger hunt showed me.
But my walks are not the same as they once were.
I don’t think they will ever be.
My mind is so much more present that it ever was
I’m still practising remaining present, and paying attention to what’s around me, instead of getting lost in my thoughts.
I still notice new and interesting things that I hadn’t seen before.
I still find even more things to tick off my list, and enjoy my local neighbourhood to a depth I never thought possible.
It honestly blows my mind how the simple act of creating and doing a scavenger hunt transformed a mundane neighbourhood into a world of constant, exciting discoveries.
I’ll see a wattle tree coming into bloom, and stop to smell the sweet fragrance.
I’ll see all of the worms crawling over the pavement after a heavy downpour (and try not to step on them).
I’ll hear the rosellas calling loudly in the trees above and just soak in the beautiful cacophony of their hundreds of calls.
I’ll notice the gardens and flowers and structures, and stash away ideas for me to use later (kind of like Pinterest, but in the real world).
There’s just so much to appreciate and admire.
I highly recommend doing your own local scavenger hunt, and training yourself to notice and remain present, especially if you struggle with typical sitting meditation practices.
I’ve even put together a downloadable list of ideas to get you started.
A quick recap
- Creating and doing a neighbourhood scavenger hunt totally transformed my walks
- It taught me to stay present and focused like nothing else
- I saw amazing things that have been under my nose this whole time
- It turned a “boring” walk into a fun journey of discovery
- I’m so much more engaged with the real world as a result
- It reinforced that you can’t do two things at once
- I was using presence to crowd out negative thoughts and emotions
- Something so simple can be incredibly powerful at shifting our experience
What next?
- Download the list of scavenger hunt ideas and adapt it for your local neighbourhood
- Go for regular walks around your local streets and take your list with you (a phone is not necessary, a pen is helpful)
- Start noticing things you’ve never seen before (and if they’re not already on the list, add them)
- Do this for at least a week, but longer if you can, to form a new habit
- Watch how your brain begins to work differently in order to be able to spot things
- Bring this new presence of mind back into the rest of your day as much as you can
I’m genuinely struggling to put into words just how transformative this exercise was for me, but it was truly profound.
So I hope you’ll give it a go, and experience the same magical effects for yourself.
Grab my list of scavenger hunt ideas and create your own adventure of discovery.
May your day be filled with wonderful new finds that were right under your nose all along.
Love,
Nicola
