On being perceptive: Lent 2021, Day 30

For the past 19 years, I've been putting stuff in and out of the dishwasher, opening and closing the dishwasher door, several times a day. But not once in all those years (until yesterday!) did I actually take any conscious notice of the sign on the left-hand edge of the door that reads 'Bosch empfiehlt Calgonit und Finish'. Sure, I saw the logos, took in subconsciously the message (becoming a long-term buyer of Calgonit and Finish), but I never even glanced at that word 'empfiehlt'.  I look it up: Empfiehlt, third-person singular present of empfehlen, 'to recommend'. Related term Empfehlung noun (genitive Empfehlung, plural Empfehlungen), 'recommendation'. So there we are - I'm one German word up on the day. Nor did I notice to the right of the three program buttons a fourth one with a droplets icon - what's that for? Only asked myself this question yesterday - after 19 years!

What does this tell me about my powers of observation?

I have noticed about myself some years ago that I am a slow learner. It takes a while for the penny to drop; but when it does, it tends to drop well, into the right slot. 

I'd observed that my father was blessed with strong powers of observation, event into his final years. Often, I'd be pushing him in his wheelchair, and he'd remark about something he'd spotted (but usually something I didn't - a crescent moon low in the sky, some amusing slogan on a billboard). 

The knack of noticing things, spotting patterns, making connections, where others don't, is, I believe, innate; it's a gift we're born with or not. Being observant is to me synonymous with being aware, being conscious. Spostrzegawczość in Polish - 'perceptiveness'.

Great artists - painters, actors, poets, musicians - notice, they observe - nuances, subtleties that most of us overlook; their observations set off creative thoughts that they can turn into great art. And when observation is coupled to curiosity, intellect and a determination to discover answers - then you have science.

You can train yourself to be more observant, over time; but a mentor is needed to ask you the right questions. "Did you notice...? What does that tell you about...?" My daily walks (I still didn't go out today! Sixth day in a row!) bring about observation of the passing of the seasons, the waxing and waning of the year. Observations such as the stalks of withered goldenrod (nawłoć) only becoming brittle enough to snap in late February/early March, despite the flowers having faded in late August/early September. That observation came last year, and is confirmed this year.

I called my son in London, a person blessed with keen powers of observation, to see if he could remember the wording to the left of the dishwasher door, or the icon to the right of the three program buttons. Before I had a chance to ask, he shot back with a question. "You know the washbasin in the bathroom - have you ever noticed what it says on the side? I only noticed it yesterday...[!]" All those years living at Cleveland Road and indeed, I never noticed. "It says 'Pyramid'!". Wow. I never knew. I Googled it - indeed, Pyramid washbasins can still be picked up at architectural-salvage shops, just like our mid-1970s one. And neither could my son tell me what's on the inside of the dishwasher door other than the three program buttons - but it seems that coincidence (like the Moody one the other day) is stronger than our powers of observation!

This time last year:
Repeatable mystical experiences

This time four years ago:
Jeziorki's temporary level crossing almost complete

This time six years ago:
Swans, dusk, Jeziorki

This time seven years ago:
Joe Biden in Warsaw for talks after Crimea invasion

This time nine years ago:
Motive power for the coal and oil trains that pass Jeziorki

This time 12  years ago:
Sleet, snow, no sign of spring