The World Needs More Lerts

On a trip to Ecuador, I met a record store owner named Jorge. When I told him my name was Kasmira, he immediately broke it down into “casi mira,” saying it made sense because I saw nearly everything around me. It’s true; I’m always picking up on background noises and noticing objects out of place. Jorge took my friend and I out salsa dancing that night and then for a breakfast of incredibly salty hamburgers. And I noticed every detail (although I remembered few).

I arrived at my picture spot today and spotted a rock out of place. Of course, I fixed it before I took photos.


Blazer, Diane von Furstenburg (consignment). Tee, Disney. Skirt, Victoria’s Secret. Boots, Sofft (consignment). Earrings, Charming Charlie. Bag, Canvas boutique.


There are downsides to being hyper-alert to auditory and visual input. I rarely sleep through the night because I register every sound. I drift out of conversations because I’m easily distracted by the sights around me. I think my memory suffers because I simply have to sift through so much “noise” that I discard important information with the unimportant.

Sometimes, there is a payoff, though. Like when I found an owl tree because I noticed the pellets and extensive whitewash underneath a neighbor’s magnolia. Or, today, when I was sitting at my desk and picked out the sound of a woodpecker in the front yard, snuck around the house, and photographed it.


Be alert! (If you want to find birds.)