The Beauty Of Being Detail-oriented
A wise heart is nourished by small details, things made with attention, love of the good and the authentic. Details that are not worth any money or offer anything in return. Because… we have to admit that it’s amazing how the smallest detail can change a dark day for the better, how beautiful it can be to be detail oriented.
Anyone who admires Impressionism no doubt knows Monet’s famous work: “Impressions, Sunrise”. This work, which gave the name to the revolutionary artistic movement from 1874, has interesting brushwork. The brush strokes are free, fast and almost disordered. They attract attention. If we look at the picture up close, it seems confused and almost chaotic. But when the spectator moves away, magic appears and we see the significance of the work.
Every brushstroke, every detail of this wonderful work is important. Together they create an image that almost moves. A sunrise where you can feel the calm in the water. Each brushstroke provides light, moisture, contrast, the boats in the distance and the liveliness of the sky that melts in the water.
It takes hundreds of delicate and precise details to bring a work of art to life. Something very similar is happening in our daily lives. The attention that others give us… words, preferences, special moments… all these little moments that are given to us, that come from the heart, also give us light and nourish us. They guide us. They are the living canvas on which we build a meaningful reality.
To appreciate the little things, we need an open heart
Magic exists. You do not have to look for it in the latest mobile phone app, or the new series on Netflix, or in the pleasure of buying a car or a computer. Well, at least you didn’t go down without explaining yourself first. Authentic beauty is hidden in the details of everyday life.
Some things can only be valued through the art of observing and receptivity. By seeing life through emotions and living in the present.
Take, for example, a cobweb at sunrise. It ceases to be invisible and is covered with small dew beads, forming a fascinating natural sight. We see the same thing in a child who looks at his father with admiration as he tells a story about two people meeting each other for the first time. Maybe the new friends are smiling because they noticed that they are reading the same book. It is this and other daily details that we sometimes happily witness. They are shades of our reality that inspire us, and that remain in our memories.
Now, in order to be receptive to these details from day to day, we must be fully connected to the present. We talked at the beginning about Claude Monet. This painter, like many others, could spend hours admiring nature: meadows blooming at sunset, the water in a pond…
This connection with what is happening around us is something we are definitely losing. We live in a society full of stimuli (too much), where little is observed, but much is shared. Where details are not important because it is the effect that counts. The fast news and “clickbait.”
As an interesting detail, I want to highlight the thalamus. This structure allows us to seek an adequate filter of attention when we observe. It is an area of the brain that is ultimately associated with consciousness.
Therefore, we can say that a good way to expand our consciousness has to do with manifesting a receptive attitude ; reinforce the wise and curious gaze controlled by emotions, be able to notice when the beauty of everyday life arises.
Detail-oriented people give time, not things
Researchers at the University of Rochester conducted a study several years ago. The study, published in the journal “Current Biology”, showed that detail-oriented people are more intelligent. Their natural power of observation allows them to focus on small aspects of reality that not everyone notices. In addition, very sensitive people also show this talent.
All this leads us to conclude that those who know how to appreciate the details are also the ones who take care of them, and are the ones who are best able to give them to others. Thus, those who are able to pay attention to the small details that make up the essence of our lives, can make sense of relationships, promote respect and gratitude, and build stronger and happier bonds with others.
We must understand that giving moments and not things is an art. We must learn to put each brush stroke in place so that it can provide light. We have to choose the right color. Both tasks are worthy of our time and energy.
