I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier. One reason I wanted to write my book Life in Five Censes was that I realized that I spent so much time locked in my head. I'd be on vacation and walking on a beautiful beach, but I'd be so busy rewriting a paragraph in my head that I wouldn't feel the wet sand beneath my feet.

Hear the waves or appreciate the smell of the seaweed.

I was even more likely to ignore the familiar sensation of my ordinary day.

One of my secrets of adulthood is,

it's easier to notice the exceptional than the familiar, so to observe the obvious requires intense attention.

So I was enchanted by reading a description of an installation by artist Scott Pollock which was part of convergence, a site-specific

show at Cabrio National Monument in San Diego.

In his 2015, applause encouraged number 111415 on a cliff

on a cliff overlooking the ocean at 45 minutes before sunset, eight participants

were checked in, then ushered to their places in a row of

fold-out seats cordoned off with a red ribbon.

Posted signs reminded them not to take photos. The attendees watch the sunset, then applauded. It occurs to me

that this art installation would be particularly meaningful for people whose

most neglected sense is sight

because that's the sense they use in a utilitarian way, but neglect to tap into for

comfort, pleasure, or adventure. If you'd like to learn whether your most

neglected sense is seeing or hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching, you can take my

free quiz at Gretchen Rubin.com slash quiz. If you'd like to see photos and videos from this piece,

I'll post a link in the show notes.

What a terrific reminder to notice

the extraordinary beauty of an ordinary sunset.

I'm Gretchen Rubin and I hope this makes your week a little happier.

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