A gift for whoever finds it

November 8th, 2022

I have an impression that, especially in big cities, people are so caught up in their worries and various thoughts that they almost never look around, and miss too many wonderful and beautiful things, without even mentioning other people—strangers that might be their next crush or friend.

Our smartphones and internet "on the go" make it even worse: we tend to have our nose in it most of the time, especially when we are on the subway/bus/train.

I love new technologies, my smartphone, and my 5G. Even more—I owe them a lot, and I appreciate them for their true value. But I think it's really a pity we tend to forget to admire our surroundings. We forget to look for small miracles and fleeting, breathtaking moments that nature offers us. I think we should all remind ourselves to sometimes just stop, just stop and look around. Really look, not just a quick automatic glance. Look, like when we were kids, with wonder and with curiosity. Otherwise, we are missing so much!

Recently, I did a small experiment. I left a small gift hanging on the lowest branch of a tree in a park. A gift for whoever finds it. There was a real gift inside—something beautiful and quite valuable.

I placed it right on the side of the alley, where a lot of people walk, in plain sight. I wanted to know how long it would take for someone to find it.

Guess what? Two weeks later, it was still there.

How many unnoticed beautiful things and people are right here, around us, every day, every minute? How many small miracles do we miss? What if life puts on our path things that we want and need so badly, but we are too caught up in our thoughts and worries to simply open our eyes and look around?