Today I Noticed

Description

Named Book of the Week by Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper

Slow down and appreciate the little moments in daily life with this inspirational mindfulness book from the team behind Today I Noticed.

How often do you stop to notice the small moments in every ordinary day?

With its simple, three-word prompt and heartwarming illustrations, Today I Noticed celebrates the power of slowing down and noticing the world around us. A beautiful gift book for anyone seeking to build a simple and fun daily mindfulness practice, Today I Noticed features artwork and musings that will inspire you to express gratitude for the little moments that often slip by unnoticed.

With additional space provided at the back of the book to record your own observations, Today I Noticed will help you unlock the magic of mindfulness as you pause to notice the messiness, humor, and joy in every single day.“Today I Noticed captures the collective pulse of the world with humor, sweetness, and vulnerability and reminds us that ordinary moments are always worth noticing.”
—Dr. Tererai Trent, author, speaker, scholar, and Oprah’s “All-Time Favorite Guest”

“With its pithy phrasings and whimsical images, Today I Noticed is an immensely fun read—often laugh out loud funny or slyly surprising. It offers a wide, warm view of a world which, however chaotic, is ripe with meaning and golden moments. This is a book to take everywhere, and share with everyone!”
—Heather Harpham, author of Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection

“Today I Noticed is a lovely, down-to-earth reminder that there is an entire vibrant, wonderful, and complicated world outside of our sometimes overwhelmed and negative minds.”
—Kate Allan, author of You Can Do All Things

“Today I Noticed brilliantly reminds us with whimsy and insight that noticing the little things really is the Big Thing.”
—Tiffany Shlain, artist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, bestselling author of 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection, and founder of The Webby Awards

“Today I Noticed is a crucial piece in the puzzle of how to be present. These tiny poems can help show us the way forward with a light touch and a gentle heart.”
—Daniel José Older, New York Times bestselling author of Shadowshaper, The Book of Lost Saints, and Star Wars: Last Shot

“Today I Noticed is a humorous and timely nudge toward mindfulness that is quirky, honest, and profound. The unique, eye-catching, and hopeful illustrations offer wonderful encouragement for living in the present.”
—Nancy L. Fish, Director, Path to Publishing Program at Book Passage

“Both Deborah Huber and Willow Older are two total badass women of wisdom. What they do is very deep and very wise, and it is presented in such a gentle and lovely combination of art and letters that you feel like you’re hanging out with two dear friends, having a good conversation.”
—Becca Anderson, author of Badass Affirmations

“Today I Noticed gently, humorously, compassionately, and with great humanity prods us to be more mindful of what’s going on right in front of us, from the minutiae of everyday life to the profound. It’s a guaranteed smile or nod of recognition.”
—Vicki Larson, award-winning journalist and the author of Not Too Old for That: How Women are Changing the Story of Aging

“Today I Noticed is full of funny truths that will lighten your day and make you smile. This book makes a great gift!”
—Julie Gordon White, author, entrepreneur, and founder, Bossa Bars

“Today I Noticed is a sheer delight—a rare mix of whimsy and wisdom. In the most charming way possible, this book is a reminder to take time in your day to “be here now.” When I need a lift in my day or a meditative moment of arty inspiration, I turn to Today I Noticed.“
—Brenda Knight, author of Random Acts of Kindness

“We love Today I Noticed’s goal to amp up everyday gratitude.”
—Polina Selyutin, host of the award-winning podcast Meant for It

“Today I Noticed is a lovely guide on how to be grateful. It reminds us to stop and appreciate the small things along the way. When you make noticing an everyday practice, your happiness increases.”
—Tracy McCubbin, bestselling author, Make Space for Happiness & Making Space, Clutter Free

“Whimsical and charming, Today I Noticed is a concrete and accessible way to incorporate mindfulness and creativity into your life.”
—Novelist Erin Gordon, author of Peeps

“Today I Noticed is full of wisdom and joy.”
—Brad Wetzler, author, Into the Soul of the World

“I love how easy it is to use Today I Noticed in daily life. It’s a life-changing experience to begin noticing those ‘mundane’ things that can bring us so much joy and happiness.”
—Gina Williamson, Director of Community, The Hivery Digital CommunityDeborah Huber and Willow Older are longtime friends and the co-founders of Today I Noticed. They both live in Marin County, California.

Deborah has spent her career in the high-tech industry in a variety of creative and management roles. She also writes children’s books.

Willow is an award-winning writer who runs her own editorial services business. She is also a self-taught artist.Welcome!
 
This book is designed to help you tap into the magic that happens when you start paying
attention. We’ll get to that in a minute. But first, a confession: This book, and the gentle
approach to mindfulness it’s based on, came about because we—Willow and Deborah—weren’t paying attention.
 
A few years back, we’d planned a rare day of playing hooky. We were both excited to check out
some art at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Unfortunately, when we arrived
at the museum, the lobby looked rather dark. Empty, too.
 
Crap.
 
Turns out MOMA is closed on Wednesdays—a fact we’d have known if we’d, uh, paid attention.
With unexpected time on our hands, we decided to stroll around the city. But we wouldn’t just
walk; we challenged ourselves to actually pay attention to our surroundings. Ratcheting up our
noticing led us to discover a public library hidden in a historic tower and a Frank Lloyd Wright
building obscured by a row of pop-up food trucks. We also noticed sweet little things, like an
older couple holding hands as they shuffled down the street together.
 
As we wandered and observed, we had an idea. How about we start a daily journal based on
paying attention to what’s around us and within us? Every day, we could write about something
we’d noticed using the three-word prompt, “Today I noticed” and then illustrate it in some way.
It would help us be more present. It would be a fun creative outlet, too.
 
Why were we pursuing presence? We’d both recently fallen off the meditation wagon—well,
pillow—once again. Maybe you’re familiar with the cycle: You vow to meditate daily. Days or
even weeks pass, and your ohm-tally grows. Then you miss a session, blaming a work deadline,
the flu, a late-night Netflix binge. You tell yourself, “I’ll do it tomorrow”—but tomorrow never
comes. Before you know it, your meditation streak is over. You slip back to being distracted,
overloaded, and functioning on fumes.
 
If active noticing could help us break this cycle, we were in.
 
The next day, after a quick trip to the art store to pick up journals and art supplies, we kicked off our adventure in paying attention.
 
On a warm evening about three weeks later, we grabbed our “Today I Noticed” journals and
settled onto two tall stools at a local bar to share gimlets and our observations, which we called
“TINs” (Today I Noticed). We were both a little nervous about revealing what we’d been up to.
Nervousness quickly gave way to delight. As we took turns showing each other our entries in our journals, it felt like we were having a conversation—one that was surprising, insightful, funny, thoughtful, and thought-provoking.
 
Today I noticed that absolutely no one cares what I look like in a bikini.

Today I noticed that a little dancing dust ball can be very distracting during a yoga class.

Today I noticed that when you let people sit at a table full of art supplies, they turn into artists.

When we talked about the process of “TINing,” we found ourselves using the same words and
phrases.
 
I slowed down. I tuned in. I felt grateful. I felt creative. I felt connected.
 
In short, we felt present.
 
By the end of that evening, we were officially hooked on paying attention. We started naturally
dropping the phrase, “Today I noticed” into our conversations, and so did our husbands. And our friends. When even our teenage boys started telling us what they were noticing, we knew we were onto something. Active noticing was giving us a simple yet powerful framework for
experiencing the world.
 
We also realized TINing was more than just a fun experiment between two friends. It was a
simple, natural practice that could help everyone slow down and be more present. In that magical moment when we notice ourselves noticing, the silly, sweet, messy, mundane moments of everyday life become meaningful, memorable, and, often, wonderful.
 
Today I noticed that the more you notice, the more you notice.
 
We predict that once you start using this book, the phrase, “Today I noticed” will take up
full-time residency in your brain—and it will quickly change how you move through your day.
And the world!
 
Hello, present. Hello, presence.
 
Here’s some of the magic that awaits you:
 
You’ll become more mindful. The phrase, “Today I noticed” works like the world’s tiniest
meditation pillow, one that’s 100% portable and invisible. You might feel too busy or too fidgety to sit down and meditate, but you’ll never feel too busy or too fidgety to notice what’s around you.
 
You’ll feel nourished. When you tune into the little moments, you realize how much sweetness
and joy are woven into every day.
 
You’ll feel grounded. An antidote to distraction, intentional noticing reminds us to slow down
and find the joie de vivre that lies just below the surface of any ordinary day.
 
You’ll become more grateful. The little moments that make up your day make up your life.
When you tune into your thoughts, feelings, and observations, your self-awareness grows and
your appreciation for everyday life deepens. And that feels great!
 
You’ll feel creative. You don’t have to be a skilled artist to create “TINs.” Whatever you write about or draw is a masterpiece because it reflects your unique voice, style,
and take on the world.
 
We think that after reading this book, you’ll already feel more present, nourished, and grateful for the little moments that make up your life. We want you to wake up every morning and think, “I wonder what I’ll notice today?”
 
We hope you’re excited to find out.
 
Yours in slowing down and noticing,
Willow and DeborahCN

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