I get a break in my work day. It’s not a lunch break, for I stay with the students and eat my sun butter and jelly sandwich right alongside them. My break comes later. Thirty minutes. Enough time for a moment to myself, but not so much time that I become engaged in other matters. I sit with my back against the building and begin to observe my surroundings. Cars parked in the lot. Garbage dumpsters in view. A pebble in the crack of a sidewalk. I am pleased to observe life, typically overlooked in the hustle of a day. I have this moment. I see life growing out of weathered cement. Colorful pebbles and peeling paint become my companions. Nearby, the railroad tracks call to me. A bug becomes my friend. I am thankful for these moments and feel at peace.
Category Archives: Nature
Roses – What’s with All the Roses?
By referencing roses in the month of February, one might anticipate a post about love, friendship, and appreciation for others. Nope. Not here! Though, I will speak about roses as they relate to personal development. Roses are known to be symbols of love, friendship, purity, all depending upon the color of the rose. Some traditions find that when gifting roses to another, one must send an appropriate color associated with personal intent and feelings. Simply based on color alone, there’s potential for miscommunication. Oh, my, it’s so complicated! I am proposing another use for the beautiful rose, in which color does not matter. In past blogs, “Cloudy with A Chance of Sunshine” and “Glitter Money & Anxiety,” I mentioned how we can get stuck on pictures, ideas, thoughts, emotions that no longer serve us well. I spoke about our ability to find neutrality and simply release our hold on […]
In Search of Beauty
March, a time of beautiful, glistening snow, peaceful & quiet, a stillness of beauty as light reflects, creating diamonds shining forth, a sparkling joy to behold… PAUSE. What? Am I talking about late March in Minnesota? 2014? I wish it were beautiful and peaceful. I think it is safe to say that most of us Minnesotans have had enough of the cold. We are ready for spring. It was around this time some years ago when I so longed for the warmth of spring, but more so, beauty. March had reached the point in which the snow was melting, roads were wet. Mud was splashing and celebrating, for now was Mud’s time of year! Everything looked dirty. No signs of spring. No buds. Grass that did appear along edges of melting snow was brown and lifeless. Where was the Beauty? Within this black mixture of discards and snow, objects of […]