I am guilty of often being in such a rush to get somewhere that I usually overlook a lot of things along the way. 

We, at CuriosityBased, had our annual team retreat last month. For our team-building activity, we wanted to do something low-key yet physical. In the past, we’ve done escape rooms, a cooking contest, a scavenger hunt. In contrast, this year, we walked extra slowly for two miles along a path familiar to all of us at varying degrees – Alki Beach in Seattle. 

Maia lived at Alki Beach from the beach in the mid 1990s, and the rest of us have visited there countless times. Maia pointed out the things that changed and what hadn’t, like the “Flowers Houses” nestled between two new condo buildings, famous for being decorated by brightly colored potted flowers. 

The walk turned out to be a 75 min exercise in noticing things we would normally miss in our haste, or because we’re distracted by our devices. We each pointed out things that were interesting to us – “Look at that house over there!” and, “Check out that tree!” and, “That’s an interesting…”

For the first time, I slowed down enough to register the significance of what is referred to as “the love locket fence,” where couples lock padlocks engraved with their initials to a fence and throw the key into the sea, symbolizing their forever love. I noticed how many padlocks there were, some even had special designs. 

Noticing what is around us requires intentionally making just a little more time than usual for curiosity and wonder. 

As you prepare to finish out the year, please try to set aside some time to slow down and notice your surroundings. 

I’d love to hear what you learned. 

Best, 

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