What if one of life’s quiet superpowers is noticing?

What if noticing those things brings you closer to knowing yourself, to connecting with yourself, to cherishing yourself?

Sounds like pretty powerful stuff for a no-cost, simple act, and yet we don’t do it nearly enough.

In this episode, I reflect on the third lesson my mother taught me: take notice of little, beautiful things, especially nature. Through spoken word poetry, memories of my mom, reflections on motherhood, and the wisdom of Mary Oliver, we explore how noticing beauty through our five senses can ground us, soften regret, and reconnect us to purpose.

From ocean water and wild geese to ginger flowers, scallops, and morning birdsong, this episode is an invitation to slow down, savor, and sit with the small moments that quietly save us.

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

If you like the podcast, visit my website: lettheverseflow.com for more inspirational insights and resources, and sign up for Flow & Voice, a free monthly note with short, practical reflections on creativity and personal growth, plus occasional behind-the-scenes glimpses into my audio storytelling journey.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Songs in this episode: Midnight Memory by Chelsea McGough; Some Kind of Wonderful by Nu Alkemi$t; Con Sazón by In This World

Poem: A Day of Greening

Resources:

Mary Oliver reading of Wild Geese (On Being Podcast)

Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (contains poem: When I am Among the Trees)

Related Episodes:

Recognize the Good in Others — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 2) – Episode #65

Let People Know You Love Them — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 1) - Episode 64

Journal Prompts:

1. Take your journal to your favorite park, beach, pasture or creek and write about beautiful, little things that you notice with your five senses.

2. Write a one-page story about the life of a beautiful object, animal or nature scene.

3. Answer this question: What beautiful, little thing do you keep around for comfort? Why?

Please subscribe & leave a review if today’s episode helped you notice little, beautiful things in the natural world. 💜💛

Follow Jill on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillhodgevo/

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

Let the Verse Flow is part of Jill Hodge’s voice actor and audiobook narration work. Learn more at jillhodgevo.com.

I’m taking an extended hiatus from the show to pursue my audiobook narration and voiceover work. Thank you for joining me here on the podcast for the last three years. You can stay in touch (and I really hope you do) and follow my narration work and creative projects by signing up for my monthly note, Between the Lines, at jillhodgevo.com. Now and always, may you stay on the bright side of