The lamp sits in this world, being a lamp. And that feeling—”Look at that lamp standing there being itself!”—is a joy all on its own. Objects take on new meaning. Their ordinariness is thicker and wider than before.

Seeing objects as endearing is a feeling of softness. It’s the feeling of watching a child walk, but translated to your coat. Look at how that coat hangs softly on the wall!

The objects around us earnestly try to be fully present in this world. This is the world of meaning behind ordinary objects. The earnestness makes me smile. My desk lamp doesn’t need to try to be a desk lamp—it just is, and the earnestness in which it’s doing so is endearing.