Continued Learning Through Micro-Discoveries

Image Credit: Chris0223

Continued learning is part of the mindfulness process…always be curious about the lessons surrounding you, that are yet to learn. Sometimes we feel that we must experience some humongous encounter or scholastic merit in order to learn something new that adds value to our knowledge. But that’s not always the case.

We often think that if we trek on adventures beyond our homes, our scope of discovery and continued learning lies there. Micro-discoveries, those little discoveries that oftentimes go unnoticed, can catapult into big discoveries. Case in point: I was trimming the old leaves from my canna lilies last week after mowing my lawn. Suddenly as I snipped a dead leaf, I gasped and jumped at what I saw. On one of the exposed leaves sat a baby green frog and a baby lizard that blended into the color of the leaf. They were hanging out together. While I found that quite comical, as I’ve never seen such a sight before, I figured they had an unusual tag team friendship for catching insects! The monochromatic disguise of the frog and lizard relayed the message that we may look different, and come from different tribes, but when we form an alliance and unite for a common cause, even if it is just friendship, we can work together for the common good.

They didn’t move, and they didn’t scurry away when I got close to them. They seemed fearless, and perhaps that is because they were babies. I might have been a curiosity to them as much as their presence was to me. How fascinating I thought. Now, this is not to say that I haven’t seen different species of animals or insects hanging out together before, aside from household pets. But for this moment on that day, I had to smile at these little creatures.

You need not be a mad scientist, astrophysicist, oceanographer, or doctor in order to discover something that may not even be microscopic, but micro-discovered. These little discoveries can be monumental lessons that display unlimited resources for knowledge if only we pause, stop, and pay attention. Find your micro-discovery and bask in the lessons to learn.

Image Credit: Allan Mas