I stood upstairs in our kitchen, waiting for the afternoon coffee water to boil.
As I looked around me, I glanced in our living room; the reflection of the sun off the water on the bay below was dancing off the curtains in a soft flickering pattern. There was a warmth and beauty about it that made me pause right there.
NOT taken today... but similar...
On the crafts table our cat, Shadow, was stretched out... catching the last warmth of the sun on his belly; a perfect representation of total relaxation.
I made my cup of coffee and walked outside to smell the freshness of the air. It rained — quite heavily — overnight and well into the morning. Since then a breeze came in and blew away the clouds and now the sky is clear. It is the evening; that time we often refer to as the ”Golden Hour,” when the sun sinks low enough towards the horizon that the light changes from pure white to a soft golden yellow.
A tiny Hummingbird buzzed around, seeking to get its last feed from our feeder before the sun goes down. For a moment the sun caught the bright ruby feathers on its throat and it lit up like a tiny jewel.
Nature is an amazing place.
There was something about the coffee that tasted particularly good today.
I thought about that and realized that what made the coffee taste so good had nothing to do with the brad or the roast, and everything to do with the fact that I wasn't particularly ”busy” in that moment; in fact I had nothing else to do aside from simply focus on enjoying my coffee and observing what was Present around me.
I think that sometimes we forget about the beauty of the simplest things. You know, those things that happen all the time every day in our lives and perhaps pass by unnoticed and unappreciated. We get so busy and so wrapped up in our lives, and all the things we have to ”get done” that we forget about the beauty of the simple things around us.
In a final act of appreciation for these simple things, I chose not to immediately run downstairs to get my camera and start trying to capture moments that are impossible to capture, on film (the photos used here are from other times). As I have grown older, I've increasingly come to believe that some things are only meant to be recorded on our inner “films;” and that's really OK!
Sun setting behind Vancouver Island...
So take a moment — when you can — too just stop and appreciate what is around you; to appreciate those simple things we enjoy every day but tend to be too busy to actually Be Present for.
The world will not disappear — or fall apart — if you take 30 minutes. It'll still be there, when you come back!
And if you already do that? Here's to the Appreciation of Simple Things!
Meanwhile — in no way related — this also happens to be my 1,500th post.
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
How about YOU? Do you notice the small things happening around you all the time? Do you ever stop to appreciate the simple things? When was the last time you did so? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20210507 21:33 PDT
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