Shifting Focus

Several mornings ago I took this photo of my hillside. There is this brief window in the morning when that hillside is lit up by the sun. Every color seems intensified for just a short while. And then, just as quickly, the sun moves across the sky and the light changes and things get back to normal. It's nice though to carry this image around for the rest of the day. It's possible to revisit it later too, both mentally and with the aid of the photo. Sort of like a souvenir.

To risk a cliche, life is like that isn't it? Moments come and go pretty quickly. The trick I think is to realize that and then do something about it. Such was the case this morning as I took my walk. I was almost done with the trip out when I came upon a man walking his dog. The man was smoking and his dog was off leash. Our park doesn't allow either of those things. It bothered me on the way back. People who choose not to follow a rule for whatever reason make me stop and think. Think for quite awhile. Why are they exempt? For the rest of my walk I considered this and at the same time, I tried to focus on all of the other wonderful things that were happening right then. Here they are in no particular order:

* warm sunshine and a cool breeze
* beautiful blue sky-near perfect weather
* birdsong
* oaks are still lush and green
* lots of wildflowers are still blooming
* feet felt great!
*lovely crunch of gravel underneath my shoes
* lots of "hellos" from all of the regulars
* best of all? I got to pet the cutest little dog with an upturned nose and golden colored eyes.

There is a lot that goes right during the course of the day or as above, even in the space of only a few moments. Focusing on that helps to turn things around. And as with the above picture, I can carry those things around with me for as long as I like, just like a souvenir.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!
Libby