What Do You See?

So I realized something today as I came home from a run. I was walking to cool down a bit, and noticed a sign for a restaurant. I couldn't even tell you how many times I've seen this sign; I live across the street from it now, and I've driven past it countless times during my ten year stint in Provo. But I don't think I've ever really seen it before today.

I don't see things. I see what the things mean. What that sign means to me is that there's a red lobster very close. (Your red lobster julie!) But what about the sign itself? What is it made of? How long has it been there? How sturdy is it, how long will it be there in the future? Is it a big sign or small one? If I just stop and think about it from memory, from one of the many times I've passed that sign, I would not be able to answer any of those questions. I just don't pay attention to details. Should I? Do you?

There are so many things around us that just become part of the background. Tonight I sat by an empty parking lot, writing silly things under the moonlight, and then I looked up and saw all these poles all over this deserted parking lot. Poles. What were they for? How tall were they? How many? Just little things that I'm sure I've never even observed before, never had any conscious thought about. It's weird. How much of our surroundings, how much of our world, just gets regulated to the background?

I know that's a part of what keeps us running, being able to tune out stimuli that are not impacting us or important to us, or else we'd be overwhelmed by the myriad of movements and details all around us. But I think sometimes it's neat to stop and look around, and truly see that tree over there, or that person riding past on a bike. A real person, who is connected to me forever from that one moment that we shared in space and time. hmm.