Those Things You Don't Notice

One process I find enchanting is the moment when you pause and discover something beautiful about a place, object, or person you've encountered many times without noticing its significance. Pessimists may decry the initial ignorance that prevented an earlier realization, but I delight in the experience nonetheless. I feel as though the period of oblivion almost heightens the pleasure and surprise of the discovery. Some of the best moments happen when you encounter excitement in the mundane.

Recently, I discovered the treasure that is the Getty Center. I know it's not exactly the most hidden gem in the Los Angeles area, and I know that many people have heard of it, and I know that the center attracts large masses of tourists every day. I know. But countless times I've passed that gorgeous building on the hill overlooking the 405 and never decided to stop.

Saturday, I changed my mind.

Wow, was I astounded. Art, architecture, and gardens beckoned my name. I didn't want to leave. I feel that to try an describe such a place would take away its grandeur in my mind. So instead, pictures.

But what am I saying here? Go visit the Getty? Well, yes. But not only that.

Seek out those areas of life that you've dismissed as ordinary. Visit a new place. Sometimes nothing happens, but those rare instances of discovery make it so, so worthwhile.