In relationships, we associate people with titles (example: my husband, my wife, my etc.). This also is a form of symbology and because of the titles we give people, we disconnect from who they really are and begin to associate them with expectations. Too often, this becomes our focus, and sometimes it’s in a negative way. We can get caught up in the disappointment of someone else not doing their job or living up to their title. We lose connection.

When was the last time you sat down and observed in detail your partner: noticing the new freckles trickling across their face, taking pleasure in a quirky expression they use often, watching how they meticulously move their fingers over the pages of a book. When they open a book, do they smell the pages of the book? Do you?

The exercises above are a practice in de-symbolizing and re-kindling details.

What does your mind really see and feel, not what you think you should see and feel. It’s also about getting curious, deeply curious, about others and about life.

Writing about the details is a stance against too much efficiency. Slow down. Caress the fine details. Observe humanness. Uncensor yourself.

This is also a way to discover yourself. Your real self. Not the one you try and show the world you are, how you want to be seen, the way you want them to think of you. It’s much more vulnerable than that. But, it’s real!