In today’s exercise in A Year of Living Consciously, Gay Hendricks shares an anecdote shared by his niece, Laura. When her oldest son was four, he collected rocks, plain old stones you’d find in any yard, wood, or trail. One day, Laura tossed the lot into the garbage, not realizing their importance to her four-year old. Thankfully, she was able to salvage the rocks from the trash without his knowing, and then spent time with him as he pointed out what made each small stone special to him.

I used to collect rocks as a kid, too. Our home had a gravel drive, so not any grey stone would do. I loved finding stones of different colors, especially those that were mottled or marbled, streaked with reds or yellows or multiple shades of brown. I collected big rocks and small, those that were craggy and rough and those that had been worn supernaturally smooth.

As an adult, I had another small collection, rocks I’ve picked up on my travels, in England and Ireland and other places. I had a stone too where I hid my heart, but that’s a story for another time.

Today, if you’re able, spend some time outside viewing the world as you did when you were a child. Pick some natural element – stones, trees, leaves, flowers, or some kind of greenery – and make note of their varying details. See how many difference sizes, shapes, textures, and shades you can identify. Write these down so that you remember what you saw the next time you need to describe a stone in the road or blades of grass or a special bloom in your writing. Treat yourself to an hour viewing the world with a child’s sense of wonder.