All different ways of getting at the same thing: stop... appreciate the small things.
A few weeks ago, I was late for work. I was stuck in traffic. It was gray and rainy. I wanted coffee, not to be staring at someone's bumper for thirty minutes. By chance, I looked up at the sky, maybe waiting for the low-flying bird with a digestive tract questionable enough to complete the morning, when I saw something pretty cool.
No, not a bird.
The clouds sort of pulled apart in the wind, kind of like a cotton ball does when you tug at either end. The sun shone through the little rip in the clouds, and made a rainbow. A good one - with distinct colors and everything.
Because I glanced up, I got to see it. (Because traffic was stopped, I didn't violate Lesson #5. Besides, this was in Red Car.) I love seeing rainbows. I'm not sure why, but they make me smile. And I remember, that moment just changed the rest of the day. I realized I could be angry about the traffic... but that it gave me a moment to see something I would otherwise have missed.
I'm trying to use little things, like touchstones, to bring me back when I get too caught up in life. I might be sliding down the road in slush and snow, but when I finally get where I'm going, at least the snow is pretty to look at on the trees. Every morning I can see the Hanover Street bridge from the ramp onto MLK, and every morning it looks a little different.. from the light, the weather, the water, any number of things. It's pretty.
So, since lesson #9, I try to pay attention to the world around me, because, all in all, it's pretty freaking cool.
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