Life, Noticed: Everyday Mindfulness | Artist’s Date: 19 January 2026

Life, Noticed is my monthly pause and an invitation for you to pause with me. On the third Monday of every month, I will share observations about my ordinary days: the small moments, passing thoughts, and quiet details that shape our lives.

With this feature, I wanted to be dedicated to noticing what is. In-between moments. Familiar routines. The things we often move past too quickly, or don’t pay attention to. It’s also a practice of gratitude—because gratitude changes how we see what we already have.This is a place for me to slow down and observe more gently instead of letting life rush by.

These reflections will grow out of my Artist’s Dates and lived experience – walks, conversations, quiet mornings, and the steady practice of being present. There’s nothing polished here and nothing urgent to take away. Just life, as I’m learning to notice it – shared with you, in case it helps you notice your own.

Life, Noticed: Everyday Mindfulness | Artist’s Date: 19 January 2026

On Saturday I took myself on an Artist’s Date to a mall, primarily to visit a store that sold stationary, among other things. I thought it would be a nice way to observe life outside my comfort zone. And I did. These are the observations I scribbled down. Sharing them with you, with minor edits – it has no form – neither prose nor poetry.

Sitting in the mall
A small island by myself
So much noise
Children riding toy cards
Morthers buying stationery for the new school session
Families posing for photographs

I came here for an Artist's Date
But find the noise overwhelming
I know I need it though
I need to be where the real action is
Not in my little cocoon 

I realise that this has become
A way for families to entertain themselves
A family outing, costly, yet safe.
And everyone is happy
The women get to look at and buy things
The children are entertained
Dinner is taken care of
AndDad is the new hero!

Then there are the couples and singles
A safeplace for unmarried couples to hang out 
(This is India after all)
And singles keep themselves from feeling lonely.
Life goes on.

I spy the security gaurd at the store yawning
And ask her if it is been a long day
'A 10 am to 10 pm shift,' she sighs! 
A sanitation worker smiles at me 
when I ask her if I need to move
'Sit' she indicates and carries on with her cleaning.

Someone dropped a box in the store
And didn't bother to pick it up
People pass by almost stamping on it
'Civic sense is dead,' I tell myself with a judgemental air, 
As I pick it up and put it back on the shelf.
Yes, it's a thing in India - 
many people won't pick up after themselves (especially in public)
We've learned so many things and progressed so much
But caste and class still have their hold!

Sitting outside a store,
I see things beckoning to me
'Buy me,' they say,
'No thanks' I answer.
'I have enough.'
But I did buy a few things that I thought
Would be useful at home.

I observe groups of friends and large families
Different agendas for different age groups
Some older folks are so out of place
While the youngsters have places to go, things to buy
And the little kids are whizzing around in toy cars
Looking so confident and seeming to manoeuvre so well
Until I realise that each car has a young man following
with a remote control! 

Let's not forget the the scent of malls
I entered a store and felt like I was transported to
Hongkong or Manila.
Do they all smell the same?
Does the perfume hide something
That makes us desire to buy more?
What an interesting notion.

It's time for me to leave
And I'm glad I spent this time 
In a world outside my own!

If you’d like, join me on the third Monday each month. Pause for a moment. Notice what’s been quietly holding you. Let the ordinary speak.