Rewiring the art of noticing

I went to a Nature journaling workshop last weekend and I know I can’t stop talking about it. In the scorching heat of Chennai a bunch of strangers found solace walking around a park picking up twigs and fallen leaves as though we were noticing them for the first time. Once we got back to the workshop we laid down our precious finds and looking at them almost felt like we were little kids in play, showing off our personal gems to each other. I later wrote in my journal that the little girl that I used to be, would have cooked up a fantastical story about where she found these treasures, while also enacting her very own cookery show. And that truly felt good. Thinking back I believe I keep talking about the workshop only because it took me back to being the little Ammu, that I was.

Watercolour art by Sharanya V

We were taught the art of noticing things, to look things closer, not by zooming into a screen but through our eyes. What I noticed along with the beautiful colours, and the intricate details etched on leaves, twigs, pods and roots was also that we were in a room filled with women. What was equally interesting was that we never felt like anything was out of place. We were completely okay that looking into nature, journaling our thoughts and creating a space to truly connect with the larger world, was probably of more interest to women. At least in this case.

This is in no way an attempt to generalise that women care more about nature than men do. Being a daughter of a man who adores his garden and coconut trees probably more than his children, I cannot commit to such a bias. Instead what intrigued me was how invested women are in noticing things. Not just the lost wonder of nature, but everything. We have been for time immemorial given the title of the gossip monger, whose primary purpose was to notice what is around. The smaller nuances of life and relationships that others choose to ignore. We, as women, are so much more adept at realising the smaller shifts and tremors of a situation and to then use it as a medium to decipher the truth. Almost as though there is a clue that hides behind it.

I remember the numerous conversations I’ve had with the men in my life who, for some reason, are almost completely unaware of these nuances. So much that they deny its existence. “It’s all in your head” is something that most women have probably heard at least once in their lives. As though our perception of reality is not concrete enough to be deemed real. It’s easily dismissable. It’s tainted by our preconceived beliefs, while that of the other is clear of any such discolouration. The reality that is tucked behind has to forcefully reveal itself in broad daylight and with a dash of drama, for the rest of us to be aware of its existence. There have been so many instances in my life in which I have felt like we could have avoided this show, if someone (by that I mean me) had seen it coming.

Rewiring the art of noticing written by Sharanya V

Women notice everything, and it is especially true when it comes to the things we see in ourselves. Every crack, crease, crevice, and fold in our bodies and minds are constantly put in the forefront when we look at ourselves. The bad hair day, the facial hair that has started to grow, the pimple in its early stages, the extra kilo we put on that makes our shirt look weird, the puffy eyes, the love handles, and many many more. Every part of our body and mind is scanned and scrutinised as if there is a hidden truth about our own existence tucked within them.

I believe there is one.

There is a hidden truth that is tucked within women’s bodies. The truth is not so much about our shortcomings, but more about a deficiency of love. Every time we give our bodies a stretch it releases some of it’s pressure to be ideal; in those one odd instances when we tell it that we love it anyway, even if inspired by an instagram post, it revels in our attention; when we look at ourselves in the mirror and give it a smile of satisfaction instead of scrutinising it, it squeaks in joy a little.

Rewiring the art of noticing written by Sharanya V

Every tiny detail of our body is under our constant surveillance. There is not an inch of our bodies that can escape our eyes. It is hard to unlearn a skill that has been ingrained into us for centuries, carefully passed on through generations.

But I ask myself and you if we are going to invest so much of our time doing something, then why not find a way to make it positive. I don’t just mean taking ourselves out for a spa date, do that if you can afford it, but also do the easy things to make your body feel happy to be your faithful companion.

Smile when you see yourself in the mirror.

Hug yourself wholeheartedly.

Give your body a stretch.

When it’s down, don't trample it further.

Say kind things to it, like

I love you,

I see you,

I accept you

Thank you for keeping up with me.

When you look around nature you see various forms of life and age all encompassed in one. One of the aging leaves I picked up to journal about had green bits on it, had fed an insect and probably held on to its plant for as long as it needed to be there. It must have fallen onto the ground to then nourish the soil for more plants to grow, when it was picked up by a stranger who walked past it. I don’t think a plant scrutinises one part of the leaf for aging more than the other. So why should we? Why blame the greying hair, the creases on our face, our wrinkles, our bellies, or our thighs? Why dislike them when you can simply accept their existence and give it the nourishment that it needs? Why exercise to change what the body looks like when you can do it for what a healthy and strong body feels like? Why bother about the optics when we can care about living inside a body that feels content?

It is a constant debate that will probably not be dismantled any time soon. But like the fallen leaf nourishes the next sapling, why not build a happy body and mind that empowers the next girl in line to love herself and her body equally?

Let’s notice the good in us this time around.