I sometimes sit and watch the Pigeons. And something inside me that notices a small funny bit of nature co-existing with suburbia… as if the Pigeons have come to town to do a bit of shopping like the rest of us… feels a sense of gratitude for being alive.
[too late for] edit: Priviliged too. You don’t need a God when you figure out how to appreciate the simple things… the things that surround us. The amusing little accidents of evolution and existence.
Lava lamps, esp. the sparkly USB powered one I got for Xmas from daHubby.
Going to the zoo and sitting in front of one of the aquariums full of brightly colored fish. That puts me in a very zen mood no matter what I’m doing or how I feel.
The car wash. My favorite is the one where I drive my car onto the track and eversoslowly lurch through the tunnel while water pummels the vehicle. Sometimes I splurge for the high-end wash package, just to make it last longer. It’s meditative.
I work nights so the Moon is my chaperone home. Last night, the sky was amazing. There was a good cloud cover, except the clouds were wispy. Rather hard to describe them, they were thick enough to obscure the moon, but the edges were rather thin and they were very irregularly shaped. The end result? The moon would fall behind one of the larger pieces and an entire patch of clouds would be back lit and glowing. Utterly beautiful.
I love to see people do things well. Whether it be dancing, dealing, working, heck, even walking. Artistry in motion.
I saw a you-tube video of a type of horse called a Friesian. Specifically one named Geoffert 369. Completely mesmerizing. I even bought the model horse of him.
The Dalai Lama, specifically Tenzin Gyatso. I have read some of his books, and find him very interesting. But his visage is just amazing. His eyes and smile are calming/peaceful/beatific/beyond words. 14th Dalai Lama - Wikipedia
9-13-93 – Jerry Garcia, onstage at the Spectrum with the rest of the guys, jamming in the second set, Playing in the Band>Dark Star>Terrapin Station just before Drums>Space. 'Twas life altering for me. I was on the rail directly in front of him so I had a great view of his pick and fret work.
Mezmerizing both visually and aurally… I guess I should say that I was always a “Phil” guy, but couldn’t get across the stage to see him up close. That’s why it was so “unexpected.”
Car washes scare me - I’ve had panic attacks in them ever since I was a kid. It makes my husband laugh. Yes, my husband can be mean.
Mesmerizing? Listening to the coyotes at night - we spent an hour at about 3:30 this morning with the bedroom window open listening to them “talk” to each other…
Oh but they were good that year.
After all the health problems, listening to Jerry sing that he could be in heaven, but he’d rather be with us remains a fond memory.
I can’t believe I am the first person to mention a campfire (unless I missed it upthread)! Half the fun of camping is sitting around and watching the fire for hours at a time.
Watching dust motes float in sunshine. I was at camp this summer, felt like crap, and just sat watching dust float around the dining hall. It was very possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen - like stars.
Dust motes and campfires and the moon and clouds, among others, are all good mesmerizers. I’m glad I’m not the only one who will stop to be taken in by their charms. Growing up, my sisters would taunt me if I looked at something too long so I learned to be more subtle and be quicker about it, which isn’t nearly as satisfying. Now I see that there’s kindred spirits here. It makes me feel better knowing that.
Another thing I love is standing on the shore where it’s shallow and watching the way the sun makes rippling patterns under the water and the way the movement of the water distorts the appearance of whatever is on the bottom. I even spent an entire afternoon, when I had nothing better to do, watching the patterns and distortions going on a pool.
In a bit deeper water, say if I’m on a dock, I’m always looking in the water hoping to see a fish. As someone mentioned above, fish are great mesmerizers too. Plus I like the way, when the water is a bit murky, the sun makes a many-rayed halo around your shadow.
