Over the weekend, my husband Eric performed his one-man magic show at The Magic Canvas, a beautiful theatre in South Carolina. I do my best to attend his shows because I enjoy them and show my support. The funny part to me is how often I get asked, "Don't you get bored seeing his show over and over?" The truth is, I don't. There's always something interesting to see, whether it's the reaction on the audience's faces or appreciating Eric's expertise as he makes coins appear and disappear. There's a sense of satisfaction and familiarity when we repeat our experiences.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in trying new things and being open to possibilities. I like traveling and learning about different cultures. I want to continue to expand my knowledge about the body-mind connection and how it relates to each of us. One of the things I realized, though, is repeating an activity gives me a new level of understanding. For example, watching a movie for the second and third time, I pick up details that I missed the first time around. I'll revisit places that I've been to because I couldn't take it all in. I'll listen to the same song until I have all the lyrics down so I can sing along. (Great for me, but not the person who hears me sing.)
We get caught up in the idea that we have to fill our days with as much new stuff as possible because everyone on social media is living their best life, and we should be too. We see repetition as something to avoid, but the truth is we can uncover layers that give us a better perception and appreciation of an event. I'm easily distracted, and when I get the chance to repeat a show or go back to the museum, I can see all the things I missed.
We should always be on the lookout for unique adventures, try different food, and meet new people. I believe we can learn even more by going back and redoing our encounters to cement our understanding of them. We walk away with more than a surface knowledge of various exhibitions. We can find excitement in uncovering small details that create an even better experience than we realized.
The beauty of watching a live performance over and over is discovering nuances that would've been missed if only seen once. Take a few moments throughout your day and be present. You may surprise yourself by noticing something new that escaped your attention all this time. I wish I could say I've figured out how Eric can vanish all the coins he's holding in his hand. But I guess I'll have to keep watching.