Tag: little things

Usually, Learning to Look Closer is about noticing the things we might otherwise miss.

The light coming through the trees.

The colors hiding in a sunset.

The tiny details we walk past every day because we’re too busy looking somewhere else.

It’s supposed to be about slowing down.

Paying attention.

Finding something beautiful in the ordinary.

Well.

I looked closer.

I would like to formally withdraw my previous advice. 😂

I’ve been sick all week.

And somewhere between laying in bed, watching entirely too much television, and feeling like my head was approximately 97% congestion, I decided it would be a good idea to go through all of my clothes.

Because apparently being sick wasn’t enough suffering.

So there I was.

Surrounded by clothes.

Completely out of energy.

Ready to give up on the entire project and crawl back into bed.

And then I looked up.

There he was.

A spider.

Just chilling above my bedroom door.

In my bedroom.

Rent free.

Like he had somewhere to be and I was interrupting him.

Now, there is something you should probably know about me.

I am terrified of spiders.

Not uncomfortable.

Not “Ew, a spider.”

Terrified.

And naturally, this little asshole had positioned himself somewhere I couldn’t reach him.

So I did what any brave, capable, independent 33-year-old woman would do.

I stared at him while trying to figure out how the hell I was going to kill him without getting close enough for him to potentially touch me.

There was just one problem.

I looked away.

For approximately half a second.

When I looked back—

he was gone.

Do you know what’s worse than seeing a spider in your bedroom?

NOT SEEING THE SPIDER YOU JUST SAW IN YOUR BEDROOM.

Because now we have options.

Is he behind the dresser?

Under the bed?

On the ceiling?

Did he leave?

Is he currently watching me write this?

WHERE DID YOU GO, SIR?

And why were you so fucking fast?! 😭

I read something once about jumping spiders that said they tend to have their own little routines.

They supposedly wander around the same areas doing their tiny spider business, so if you suddenly notice one somewhere you normally don’t, maybe you’re the one who stepped outside your usual routine.

I have absolutely no idea how scientifically accurate that is.

But I’ve been thinking about it.

Because maybe he’s been here before.

Maybe while I’ve been living my life, sleeping in my bed and minding my own business, this tiny creature has been living an entire little life alongside mine.

Taking the same routes.

Visiting the same places.

Doing whatever the hell spiders do all day.

And I simply never noticed him.

Until our routines crossed.

Which is actually kind of fascinating.

I hate it.

But it’s fascinating. 😂

Maybe there’s something to that.

There are entire little worlds existing around us all the time.

Things happening in corners we never look toward.

Creatures following routines we know nothing about.

Tiny lives intersecting with ours for a few seconds before disappearing again.

Sometimes looking closer means noticing a beautiful sunset.

Sometimes it means noticing the way two people love each other.

Sometimes it means finding something extraordinary hiding inside something completely ordinary.

And sometimes—

you look up while sorting clothes and discover that you apparently have a roommate.

A roommate who has now disappeared somewhere inside your bedroom.

So perhaps Learning to Look Closer needs one small amendment:

Pay attention to the world around you.

Notice the little things.

Look for what you normally overlook.

But occasionally?

Mind your fucking business.

Because now I know there’s a spider somewhere in my bedroom.

And I can never unknow it.

Until next time,

—Destiny

P.S. If you happen to know where my new roommate went, no you don’t. I would actually prefer to sleep tonight. 🕷️😭