How To Capture The Simple Pleasures of Everyday Life
- kgracehowes
- Mar 14
- 7 min read
“It’s not a rabbit hole. It’s a rabbit home.
It all started when I read this quote … “capture simple pleasures and everyday life”.
I think my brain exploded in to a million different thoughts as it tried to encompass all that those 6 words entailed.
We can describe the act of capturing life as journaling, recording analog or digitally, those fleeting moments of our lives. It could also be called keeping a diary. I believe, though, that that in itself is much too simplistic a thing to ponder.
The more the phrase rattled around in my head, the more I wanted to explore this concept in depth because I think it deserves a more full answer.
SIMPLE PLEASURES
What do those words bring to mind for you? For me the operative word, maybe surprisingly to you, is simple. I can easily come up with a list of things that are pleasurable, those things that bring me joy.
But in trying to simplify…nah that’s not it or it’s not enough to go by.
In trying to capture simple pleasures it means my noticing, my awareness cannot be at surface level.
So just how do you intentionally fall down the rabbit hole and stay focused inward without becoming distracted?
The best example I can give to explain what I mean is by thinking about the grounding exercise, The 5 Senses…where you name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 1 thing you can taste.
In coming up with at that 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 list you’re able to tap into a deeper awareness of not only your surroundings but also your internal compass of inner knowing as it relates to your surroundings in that moment.
Capturing simple pleasure then becomes a more deep and resonant exercise in noticing, in paying attention…..in simplifying what you “see”.
The attention algorithm on many platforms is intentionally meant to distract you, to keep you focused on it (aka doomscrolling) rather than staying focused on your work or your inner self.
This means that your curiosity about those simple pleasures is always being thwarted, even threatened might I say.
Found this reference for the lexicon of “attention” in different languages. Fascinating, right?
THE THINGS THAT EXCITE YOU ARE NOT RANDOM
Nope, they are not, They’re clues. Hmmmm??? Of what you ask.
I’ve been reading the book “The Art of Noticing” [^1] on and off for the last couple of years.
Yes, you read that right. It’s not been a straight read through for me. I’ve found it’s a book to savour, to muddle your way through, to take in and let the info you’re ruminating on to be held, to be…noticed.
Reading the book in this manner has helped me rediscover myself and what matters to me through thoughtful and carefully created exercises.
The art of noticing meaning involves actively paying attention to the small, often overlooked details of the world around you to find deeper significance, beauty, and inspiration. It is a practice of mindfulness and intentional observation that fosters creativity, connects you to your experiences, and enriches your daily life by revealing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
That last sentence that begins with “…mindful, intentional observation…”,…..there, that’s the rub. the gold in the rubble of definitions. Noticing is about making connections from your external surroundings through an inner port that connects to self, the part of you that, whatever you’re noticing, connects to.
How do you actively engage? How can you pay more attention to begin noticing more?
I actually asked the question in a Google search (nope not chatGPT, didn’t want an overview, just an explanation of sorts). I got back the following response…
I‘m very infrequently on social media platforms these days. And that's because a few years ago I began noticing how endless my scrolling on Instagram had become.
Remember that inward connection I referred to earlier? It dawned on me one day as I was scrolling. By the way, this was an inner compass realization popping into my consciousness.
When I looked back at the days in my life, I didn’t want the visual image that came to mind one of me scrolling on a device.
So, for the most part, you can say I’ve quit social media. Doesn’t mean I don’t ever open the app, but when I do I’m much more conscious that I’m reaching for my phone and then do a quick “why” before picking it up and intentionally opening the app.
I also mentally time myself so an hour or 2 is not wasted. I will let you know though that getting to that point took quite a few months to unlearn the habit. In the end, thankfully, it was a conscious awareness of how much time I was giving to and witnessing other’s fleeting moments instead of my own.
Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live. ~ Mae Jemison, American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut.
HOW TO CAPTURE SIMPLE PLEASURES
I’ve come up with a 3 ways to jumpstart your noticing.
Choose to be curious.
This 1st one is a deliberate attempt on your part to start your noticing journey because everything new thing, every new habit begins with the 1st step.
Challenge yourself to notice one thing as you go through your day — all the black shoes you see, the way people are conversing, a particular breed of dog, red cars, how many times you pick up your phone to scroll (I mean, c’mon, right?).
Choose to be curious about what’s happening right in front of you first.
Bring it home.
After you’ve done #1 above for a good bit (say a full day or, better yet, a couple of weeks), now it’s time to not only notice those random things but those things happening that are related specifically to you.
What I mean by this is allowing your internal compass access to external events or things. With that in mind, what have you not been noticing?
For instance, a simple one to begin noticing is what, during your day, brings a smile to your face. It’s easy to register when you’re upset, when something/someone flips your bullsh*t meter on. It’s much harder to notice and record fleeting, pleasurable moments.
Like before, do this activity for a few weeks as you start to build up that noticing muscle memory.
Take a note.
Start carrying round a small notebook, or if you’re digitally inclined, open up a general notes app on your phone as just start capturing, in a sentence or two, what you’re noticing.
Challenge yourself to record, to write down a minimum of 3 things each day. You know, start small. Rabbit holes only get larger when we make it so. Remember, where you write doesn’t matter. Also, it doesn’t have to be pretty-fied or embellished. You’re just noticing and capturing.
Rob Walker, author of The Art of Noticing, says his book is “for people who want to stay interested in life”. That’s exactly what this post (and this Substack channel) is about.
Well, that and writing, journaling, recording. After all, I am a hard core fountain pen enthusiast who, these days, only writes with fountain pens.
EVERYTHING IS WILDLY IMAGINABLE
My YouTube channel is called Wildly Imaginable, just like this website. It's where I talk mostly about fountain pens and inks but also all things pen adjacent.
When I came up with the name, it was intentional. A name purposefully chosen because I knew, down the line, there would be an opportunity for me to expand on the things that matter to me and what I choose to share to the world, especially to my community. This post is the beginning of that expansion.
From time to time in these blog posts I’ll give insight into and share my experience on how we can capture the simple pleasures and beauty of everyday life through writing (with fountain pens preferably) and perfecting the art of noticing.
That latter part has always intrigued me, especially by how much we miss right in front of us. It’s about trying to make the familiar, the everyday stuff that’s right in front of us recognizable so we see more clearly and not miss the nuances.
With that said, my fascination and love of these pens, collecting and using them has inspired me to showcase one of them for each of these types of posts I write.
So please meet the first pen I want to share with you, my 1st Hongdian M2 (yes, I have 2 of them). She’s a cutie and a pen I would definitely add it to the category of simple pleasures.
By the way, in our pen community we call anyone who espouses and encourages the use of fountain pens “penablers”. 🙋🏽♀️ So just know that if watching the video of this pen tweaks your fancy, especially if you’re not already a fountain pen user, know that I take my role of an enabler seriously. 😝
ONE MORE THING…
Before you close this tab, trying pondering your answer to the following question.
What 1 simple pleasure have you experienced already today?
Feel free to journal about what that is in this moment and record the any thougths that came up for you about it. What feelings did it bring up in you?
Also, I invite you to share your thoughts about what I’ve written. Did anything come up for you that sparked a thought or idea about how you can bring more awareness to your life?
See you next time in this space.
ta ta for now,
Grace
[^1]
The Art of Noticing. 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday, by Rob Walker
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