While taking in the sights and various bites of sugary heaven recently at the Austin Ice Festival, my "aha moment" came in the form of a crunchy waffle cone filled with sweet frozen vanilla custard goodness.
That cone and its contents evoked a profound thought and revelation. In life, one scoop is never enough, we want a second scoop. The first bite or scoop was so good, we want more...sometimes we sign up for the extra helping before even trying the first because we anticipate the first being so good that we "plan ahead," "save time," and "indulge a little...if just this once."
However have you noticed...the first bite is always the best? That, when we splurge, indulge, and ignore that 'little voice' to throw caution to the wind that we usually feel disappointment, regret and an emptiness in the extended experience? That, overindulgence in anything eventually and predictably leaves us with discomfort, dissatisfaction, and remorse? How many times have you said to yourself "I should have stopped while I was ahead!" or "I shouldn't have taken that second _______ (fill in the blank with your weakness or Kryptonite)!" ? We've all said that to ourselves at one time or another...I know I have and unfortunately too many times to count. You'd think we would learn but we rarely do...and if we do, it usually takes A LOT longer than it should.
The saying "less is more" pops into my mind and that phrase rings so true for a reason! Going forward, I am going to take one scoop and be content with what I have; live in the moment versus the future and savor my one scoop...per se.
I am taking a slight detour from my format of posting pictures I personally took (I did not have my camera with me, and even if I did, I would not have been able to capture this shot). This image comes via Petros Giannakouris/AP and is a photo of the Perseid meteor shower in the village of Fanos in central Greece. (You not only get personal perspective here, you may also get some interesting tidbits of FYI's, such as the fact that this specific light show occurs every August.) We happened to be out this morning...very early this morning...with our dog, which proved to be and provided an unexpected treat. The annual Perseid meteor showers happened to be going on and I was fortunate and lucky enough to catch a glimpse of two "shooting stars!!!"
What struck me about this moment was the feeling of child-like wonder, excitement and anticipation I felt while gazing into the dark sky, hoping and looking for a white tail streaming across the relatively black morning canvas...and making a wish when I did. (Then the grown-up part of me thought "Gee, I hope a bird or a bat doesn't drop a surprise on my face or in my mouth!!!" So much for child-like abandonment!)
The "aha" lesson or reflection I walked into the house with was the desire to have more of these "shooting star moments"...those precious moments in time where and when we are able to quiet our "grown-up selves" and let our "inner child" have its frolicking moment of playing and splashing in the fountain of life; when ice cream dripping down our cone and hand doesn't instantly conjure up thoughts of dry cleaning and stain sticks, where instead we focus solely on the sugary goodness of joy, per se, that we have in our grasp.
Sitting outside a couple of mornings ago, I noticed my neighbor's flowering bush. While my photo doesn't due justice to the color of the flowers, in person the buds are a vibrant and breathtaking red. What I found interesting about this moment, and why this image caught my eye, was how the red flowers stood out from the rest of the surrounding foliage; how it stood out from the crowd if you will. The flowers are unique in the scene; they bring an unique presence and beauty that the trees or grass just cannot provide. My "aha moment" was the realization that we need to follow nature's example more often. We need to celebrate our unique qualities, talents, perspectives...and even our quirks. We need to be proud of, rather than trying to hide, conform or tone down those traits that make us different from others. Rather than shying away, we need to stand out from the crowd...per se.
Hello and welcome to my blog! My husband and I, along with our dog, recently relocated to Texas and it's amazing what this move has done for us. Sunshine is an amazing thing!!! Coming from Chicago, we were a "little" short on this vitamin D source. Since our move, I've been blessed to have some time to recharge my battery, do a little self-reflection and follow our dog's example of stopping and smelling the roses.
It was during one of my "slowing down" mornings, while enjoying my french vanilla/hazelnut infused cup of java and listening to the birds chirp away, that I read a LinkedIn post by Claire Diaz-Ortiz that really spoke to me. In her post she shared the greatest advice she received, which was to do nothing for five minutes every morning, Mondays especially. In doing so, she suggested, one is able to pause before "life comes rushing in on you" as she put it. After following Ms. Diaz-Ortiz's prompting, I took in the sounds of the morning, looked up and really noticed the beauty around me. It was in that moment that the idea for this blog came to be. I've always been a fan of "capturing the moment" with a photo.
So, as I take in the scenery that until now would have gone relatively unnoticed, I will be sharing images and items that caught my eye and spoke to me, per se, and the thoughts that followed by taking a moment to slow down, look around, and take it all in.
