It gets pretty easy to take something, somewhere, or someone for granted, especially when we have repeated interactions or experiences with them or it. And when things become familiar, they often become less attractive. We are drawn to new experiences and are conditioned to disregard what we already know or have. Gratitude, though, can instill those experiences with curiosity, allowing the familiar to remain seductive. And curiosity about what we already know is a key driver of joy.
Gabriel Orozco created a series, with works like Vitruvius amazonica(2023), that is familiar in some ways and totally different and unexpected in others. His willing vulnerability is a gateway to expressing gratitude. The surprise I felt when I first saw it was palpable—an additionally exciting experience of expecting one thing and getting another. And a reminder that we can, of course, be surprised by what we are already familiar with.
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