What a beautiful spring day for a hike! I had a rare opportunity to get out midweek and visit Trustom Pond, one of my favorite places at any time of year. This time of year, the branches are filled with buds just waiting to emerge, the pond is alive with tadpoles soon to transform into hundreds of frogs, and the entire landscape, worn from winter, is ready to reclaim its place and show off its immense beauty. Mother Nature sure knows how to show off!
The reflection of the trees on the water was a spectacular sight, especially while listening to the birds sing their songs of spring. What a great day to be alive! I honestly don’t know how people can feel so disconnected from joy when surrounded by such beauty every day.
After the hike, I stopped at the Hannah Robinson Tower and climbed it with a group of folks who had never had the opportunity, or even heard the story behind it (click the hyperlink if you aren't familiar with the story). Thousands of people drive by this tower every day, most never knowing its history or taking the time to climb to the top and see for miles in every direction.
Gratitude and reflection might be two of the most important things we can practice daily. I truly believe the world would be a happier place if more of us made space for both. I’ve come to realize that people can look at the exact same scene and see it completely differently, one might focus on the harsh toll winter has taken on the landscape, while another sees the beauty just about to emerge. It’s all perspective and I'm glad I am in the see the beauty category.
I know I’ve done my fair share of bellyaching about the dishwasher breaking, the backhoe saga, and the trials of long days, but overall, I try to practice gratitude daily. And yes… it’s a practice. It’s one of the main reasons I began writing several years ago: to wake up and reflect on the previous day with a sense of gratitude for the universe and an awareness of my life’s good fortune.
Tim often accuses me of being too positive in my writing, is that really a thing? If so, then color me guilty.
Because at the end of the day, I’d rather lean into the light than dwell in the shadows. There is always something to be grateful for, sometimes we just have to choose to see it.
Yours truly,
eternally grateful
“The earth has music for those who listen.” ~ William Shakespeare
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