The useful pause

Pausing changes the scale of a walk. From a bench or a safe place off the path, movements that were background become distinct: the rhythm of footsteps, a branch in the wind or the changing reflection in a window.

Choose a place where stopping does not obstruct anyone. Give yourself a small task, such as noticing three textures or following one shadow. There is no need to turn every pause into a photograph.

A note made afterwards can be very short. One clear sentence is enough to preserve the difference between passing through a place and spending a little time there.