Details, please!

The other day I must have accidentally ordered a huge helping of “wait for it” from my karma menu. I wanted to nip that lesson in the bud before it bit me in the butt. So on my hour-long drive to see my 99-year-old mom, I followed my breath in and out, enjoying the no-breath pause between breaths. That got me partway there. 

Radio Lab on NPR help me complete the journey. The episode was about David Rothenberg playing the clarinet in duets with cicadas and whales and birds. Each delicious description and delightful sound painted a picture in my mind. This helped me realize how to stop “waiting for it”. The podcasters were drawing my attention deeply into the details.

There’s a saying, “The devil’s in the details” meaning that unexamined minor details may cause major impediments. However, the original expression is "Der liebe Gott steckt im detail" or God is in the details. Believe what you want or not about God, thinking about “details” being a path to presence lights me up.

So next time you’re waiting for someone to show up, waiting in line at the supermarket, waiting in traffic behind the wheel, or any other “wait for it” moment, find a detail to focus on. It might be the way sunlight dances on green leaves or the fading whistle of a train passing by, or the earthy smell of coffee wafting up from your fresh pour. The details can ground us, bring us back to our bodies, and reset our nervous system. 

What details do you notice that bring you into presence?

See below for an exercise I made up to help your students or clients get into a detailed frame of mind.

 Details Please!

To Play: Form a circle seated or standing. Or if online, ask for volunteers to respond.

Part 1. Intro to details The leader makes up a sentence and each student or client asks for “Details please!”. When they do, provide new detail about the sentence you originally said. This way your everyone can hear you elaborate in a variety of ways.

Say to participants: “Today we’re going to play with details. For example, if I say ‘I just went grocery shopping.’ And you said:  Details, please! I might say, ‘I bought chocolate ice cream.’ or ‘The lines were long.’ or ‘Now I can make blueberry pancakes for dinner.’ You’ll each have a chance to ask me for details after my sentence.”

Part 2. Line! with details The next level of this game is to play the game “line” and every now and then ask for “Details, please!’ so players learn to elaborate on their statements.

Say to participants: “Today we are telling a story as a group. When it’s your turn, you can only say one line of the story. The person next to you will also say only one line to continue the story. We’ll keep going around the circle until the story is done. After we choose a topic, all the sentences will be about that subject. Remember you can only say one line and what you add needs to continue the story. When I say ‘Details, please!’ you’ll have to tell me more about what you just said. I’ll randomly ask some of you to add details.

 Part 3. Scene work with details.

To play: Ask for two volunteers to go to the designated “stage” area.

Say to participants: Let’s give our two players a location or an activity. They will start the scene based on that suggestion. I will interrupt the scene at any time and say, “Details Please!” The players will have to go into detail about whatever was being said at the time they spoke.

For example. The players are given a location in the jungle. One player might say, ‘There are a lot of bugs here!’ I might say, ‘Details Please!’  The player has to go into detail saying something like, ‘Red ants are crawling all over the leaves of the plants.’ Or ‘Tons of flies are buzzing in my face.’ I might ask for even more details by saying again, ‘Details please!’ When that player is done being specific, the other player can respond with the next line. I won’t ask for details after each line. Sometimes I may let the scene develop for a bit before I ask for details.”

 Helpful Side Coaching Tips to say during the game:

• Listen on Purpose to the other player and remember to Yes, And!
• Add a sentence that fits with what has been said so far and adds new information to the story.
• It helps to Look on Purpose to the players as they speak to be ready for your turn.
• When you give some details, really picture what the details in your imagination by seeing shapes, colors, and sizes or smelling the detail.

 Discussion Questions:

1. What did you notice during this exercise?

2. Were you surprised at how different the story turned out with the details?

3. Did the details help move the story along? Why or why not?

4. How can you apply this to your everyday life?

5. How does noticing details help us?