“I’ve worked around here for 20 years and never noticed that building before”
One of the wanderers from an event last week was amazed to notice things she walks past every day but had never paid attention to before. You spend a lot of time in one place but rarely really look around. This happens quite a bit with Street Wisdom, it tends to make you aware of things you’ve otherwise been ignoring.
There’s so much untapped wisdom on the streets all around us, we’re just often not looking around to take it all in.
I spend every day rushing around an incredible city preoccupied with other things. When I go to other cities around the world I step back, go for walks and take it all in. Something’s not quite right there.
This moved us on to trying to recall the shops and buildings on the roads we live and work on. Most of the group couldn’t really do it – they could recall a few but not the whole street. We spend a lot of our time on these streets but are often not present and so don’t notice what is going on around us. It was quite eye-opening.
Challenge: Could you draw a map of your street and list what’s on it? Give it a go. Next time you’re walking home or leaving your workplace, take the time to look around you and take it all in. Perhaps challenge your family or colleagues to do the same and notice what you’ve not been noticing.
