infraordinary

Have you heard the term infraordninary? Coined by French philosopher Georges Perec in 1973, it’s based on the idea that some things become so familiar, that we actually stop seeing them at all. The are so invisible they are below the ordinary—or infraordinary.  Worn invisible by daily use, we no longer see what we are habituated to. This is the sphere of daily existence that lies beneath notice or comment. Today we use the terms sleep-walking or autopilot to describe this state of being. Perec believed that by paying attention to these ordinary experiences, we could find meaning and richness in our daily lives. I agree with him.  STILL, for me, became the practice I use to snap myself out of this state, into the present moment with all it’s wondrous detail. And on the days when I find to most mundane, the least promising, the most infra-ordinary subjects, and make something interesting with them. These are my most rewarding STILL days.

*This is the point in winter that most of the stems still standing have been bent by wet snow, and wind whipped into tatters. They line our road sides. Our parking lot edges, our boulevards and medians. They are everywhere. And yet we hardly notice them. But starting now, I am quite certain, you will :-)

winter tall grass stems (bluestem? switchgrass?)