There’s something beautiful about slowing down enough to notice what’s around you. When you do, you begin to see how much joy exists in the in-between.
Most of the time, we are too busy to notice. We rush past what is right beside us. We overlook things. Especially the small things – which, I’ve found, are not small at all. They are the things that make life beautiful.
The moments that don’t make the highlight reel. The details we almost miss. And once you start noticing, it becomes easier to keep seeing. Joy, after all, is often found in the places we choose to pay attention to.
A few weeks ago, I hiked to Choma Waterfalls in Morogoro with a friend.
The trail was steep, the climb long, and the pauses to catch our breath many. But somewhere along the way, I found myself drawn to the flowers – tiny ones. Bright ones. Some bloom stubbornly from cracks in the rocks. I kept stopping to admire them, to take pictures, to smile.
And I realised: I only saw them because I was looking. Because I made space to notice. Flowers make me happy, so I let them.
The waterfall at the end was beautiful, but it wasn’t the only beautiful thing. The joy was in the in-between.
It reminded me that life isn’t just about where we’re going. It’s about how we get there. Who we walk with. What we notice along the way. What we allow ourselves to feel, even when we’re tired.
The journey becomes bearable, sometimes even magical, when you stop rushing through it, when you let joy meet you in small ways. A flower. A breath. A good conversation.
So here’s my reminder to start the week: Let the destination be what it is. But don’t forget to look for the flowers because joy lives in the in-between. And if we’re paying attention, it’s always waiting to be found.
Always,
Jane 🙂