I was introduced to a quote today by Marcel Proust, where he says:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Marcel Proust

The context went something along the lines that we, as humans, habituate really easily. It doesn’t take long for something or someone who once gave us great pleasure, wonder, and delight to become…ordinary. Expected.

Because we are seekers of pleasure, this often means that we become dissatisfied with what we have and begin to seek the new. A new car. A new job. A new vacation location. A new spouse. We consistently search for that level of wonder that we used to find in the things we already have.

I am certainly guilty of that. Mostly with vacations, but in the small things as well. The pandemic – and staying really close to home for a really long time – hasn’t helped things. In spending so much time with my current “things,” one can’t help but hope for something new.

(No wonder Amazon has been booming during the pandemic.)

Not wanting to get stuck in the cycle of discontent, I’ve been wondering all day – how does one have new eyes? How do we find joy and wonder anew in the things that have become normal?

After a day of pondering, I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I have a couple of thoughts.

Embrace the holidays

As I was writing the other day, there was something about decorating the house for the holidays that put me in a completely different mindset. Parts of my house that I could really have cared two figs for a week ago have now become spots I treasure. Even as I write this, I am lying on my couch in a way that I have a great vantage point of my Christmas tree. The lights bring a magic to a room that, even after a really long day, leaves you with a sense of wonder.

Seek the POV of a child

Now in this respect, I am lucky. I happen to have a toddler at home. But just having a child at home doesn’t necessarily mean that I embrace her point of view (and not having a child at home doesn’t prevent you from doing so). However, especially right now in the first holiday season that she has really understood, it has helped me have a pair of fresh eyes. As I teach her our traditions, and watch things register in her little brain, it helps to see the wonder of it all over again.

Take out the something “special”

I was watching a TedTalk not too long ago by Gillian Dunn entitled, Change Your Closet, Change Your Life.

Now, I was a little put off by the flippant title and almost didn’t see it through. But she had something to say that I’ve been thinking about ever since.

Her basic premise revolves around a story of a candle that she received as a gift. It was a “special” candle and so she decided to save it for a “special day.” She wrapped it up and put it in her closet…and then promptly forgot about it.

One day, several years later, she remembered the candle and thought “today is the day.” So she went to the closet and pulled out the closet…and it had melted away. She had saved it so long for “someday,” that she never had the chance to enjoy it.

I have quite a few “candles” in my house. Different items that I have deemed too special for everyday use. And yet, when I make the decision to use them, it makes the day that much better. It helps me find the luxury, the delight, the wonder in the every day.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s where I got to today. So here’s to a pair of fresh eyes and all of the new, creative discoveries we make with them.