Posted on

Poster Child of A Beautiful Day

Fall is here, finally. It has been a wickedly hot summer. Please don’t misunderstand, I completely enjoy basking in the warm summer air on the hot patio stones. I however, have never had the luxury of experiencing anything other than spring and summer. But today… Mom said it was a PERFECT fall day. It’s sunny, about 70 degrees, the wind is blowing, and absolutely no humidity to speak of. It really is the poster child of a beautiful day.

Mom and Dad were supposed to be gone all day, but Boy’s school called and Mom had to pick him up very early. When she got home, she opened all the windows, opened the door, and told us to “get out”. It felt beyond delightful, lying outside in the cool grass with the leaves whirling past me and the tree limbs swaying gently in the breeze. There’s just so much to look at when it is all continually moving.

Fall is a new experience for me. I felt the need to soak in and relish in every refreshing moment of this new experience. I needed to genuinely enjoy the moment I was in. It was vital to take in and appreciate how every tiny little piece of the universe came together perfectly, to create, not just a magical moment, but a joy filled day.

This is my way of telling you, to take notice. Remember to enjoy where you are in a moment. Sometimes, we can be too focused on the wrong parts, or too focused overall, or even too busy. Sometimes these moments can be hard to find and easily missed. Take a pause each day and take note. Find something that brought you joy. It could be an interaction, a gift, a smile, getting a job done, the weather, the whole stinking day. Don’t let those little moments or days of joy pass you by. These are the things worth spotlighting.

Posted on

The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly

For Mother’s Day Boy bought Mom a stunning plant. She loved it. She took it out of the orange, plastic pot it came in, and put it into a fancier pot to place on the back patio. The plant sits by the back door, on the step, up against the house. A lovely addition to a small bare corner. This plant is chock-full of little buds that eventually display large, orange, hibiscus flowers. Mom says, the unfortunate part about this plant is that the flowers only bloom for a day, leaving shriveled up pods of former hibiscus flowers hanging from the stems.
I say, HOW FORTUNATE!!! There are shriveled up pods of former hibiscus flowers hanging from stems! When the spirit moves me or when I am feeling bored, I like to snatch those shriveled up pods right off the plant. Each pod gives approximately fifteen minutes of mindless joy and pleasure.
Can you see where I am headed with this?!?
Everything in life is determined by your frame of mind. While Mom looks at the plant and takes note of the dead and ugly parts, I see a fun, new, tasty moment of happiness. Mom and I see things differently. That’s OK. But, if you continue to look at the things in your life less than savory and undesirable than the more things will look unsavory and undesirable. If you look at your life, the things you have, and the things you’re going through as though they have flavor and zest (even the ugly, unwanted parts), everything will start to seem a little more palatable and flavorful. Continue this, and your life, and all that is in it will be worth savoring and enjoying. Everyone will want a piece of it because it’s just so satisfying!
It’s all in the way your perceive it, life, materials within your life, moments, situations, all of it. It, much like the hibiscus flowers can be full of fun and flavor, or it can be dead and ugly. It’s up to you to choose!!!