Simple

Day 5 of the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: An item you use every day. Answer: My cell phone camera.

Look for it next year, too.

Day 4 of the 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: Something in the room you’re in. Answer: Grampa’s chapel. Shown above, it was made by my Grampa more than 100 years ago, it’s one of the most precious things that I own, and I’m pretty sure I share it on this blog every year at Christmastime. But unless I want…

Well, Yellow There…

Three words: Gingkos are magic. It’s not often that I have to wait for people in the park to leave my frame so I can take a photo of something, but the gingkoes had a lot of people stopping in their tracks and wandering off the paths. Little kids tossed leaf piles in the air…

30 Days of Gratitude

The other day I got an email from a magazine I used to subscribe to (Bella Grace) and it included a link to an item called “30 Days of Gratitude.” It’s a 30-day calendar with a prompt each day to, well, promote gratitude. Here’s the intro: “There is always something to be grateful for, we…

Choose the better

“Hate has 4 letters, so does Love. Enemies has 7 letters, so does Friends. Lying has five letters, so does Truth. Negative has 8 letters, so does Positive. Under has 5 letters, so does Above. Cry has 3 letters, so does Joy. Angry has 5 letters, so does Happy. Right has 5 letters, so does…

Small journeys

On the way to the office this morning, I realized how much being home for the last year and a half has made me enjoy getting out and about — so much that I even appreciate the stoplights along my route to work. I love to look around, see what’s developing (in nature or man-made)….

Yellow

So far this fall has been the season of red. But I’m thinking yellow deserves some serious love for its showing as well.

Good choice

Every day you have an important choice to make. Whether to cherish or waste the most valuable blessing you have – time. Today you have the choice to spend it wisely, appreciating every minute of your life, loving the people that love you, focusing on all the good you have. Find what makes you happy,…

Seven Ways…

…to love yourself. 1.) Celebrate small things. 2.) REST. 3.) Say “no” to toxic people. 4.) Express what you need. 5.) Set boundaries. 6.) Slow down. 7.) Forgive yourself. I saw this list on Instagram (@chronically_cheerful) recently, which seems to be my magic 8 ball of self-care wisdom these days. And I thought those were…

Done

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo…

Making the most of it

Welp. While we gained an hour of sleep, the sun is setting super early — and now I’m officially running in the dark. Gone are the glorious autumn scenes like the one above, replaced instead by a few feet of sidewalk illuminated by my flashlight. Usually this is a tough transition for me. As a…

Imagination

“Clouds are the sky’s imagination.” – Terri Guillemets I like to think the sky was imagining fire this afternoon. I know my neighbors think I’m strange, but every time I step outside the front door, my glance goes straight up to see what kind of show the sky is putting on. Of course, my second…

Things I wish for you

I spotted this wonderful sentiment and thought it was worth sharing with others (along with photos from my morning run in the Park and my later-in-the-morning walk with Finn). Things I wish for you That you go on lots of long walks and enjoy your own company. That you learn that the real magic doesn’t…

No filter needed

Today’s visit to the park was brought to you by the color red.

Love

“Love your life. Take pictures of everything. Tell people you love them. Talk to random strangers. Do things that you’re scared to do. Take your life and make it the best story in the world. Don’t waste it.” – unknown

Smile

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryant Trying to get outside as much as we can these days to take in all the lovely smiles. Including my dog’s smile. They say you should write down three things each day for which you are grateful. My list today? 1.) Red; 2.) Orange; and…

You’re not normal; you’re amazing.

“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou And you are amazing, funky reddish-pinkish-orangish vine. That’s right. You just keep on showing off your colorful self amidst all of your green neighbors. I’m here for it.

Everyone

“Be extra kind, and show respectevery chance you get.Keep reminding yourselfthat everyone you meet is a human being whodreams of something,fears something,loves someone, andhas lost someone.” -@marcandangel

Here we go

The trees atop Art Hill seem to have gotten the memo and are really starting to show their colorful stuff – and the rest of the park is trying to follow their lead. So the next week or two should be really fun.

Twofer

Yesterday I fell asleep before I had a chance to post day #6 of the “7 ways to be more kind to your mind” exercise/self-reflections from @laurajaneillustrations. So today I’ll post the thoughts/reflections for both Friday and Saturday. Twofer! For Friday: “Check in with your feelings. What are you feeling today? Why are you feeling this way? What…

Pause

It’s Thursday — day #5 of the “7 ways to be more kind to your mind” exercise/self-reflections from @laurajaneillustrations: “Take a moment to just stop. Stop and breathe. Breathe in, pause, breathe out. In the silence, listen closely to what your body is telling you – what do you need more of today? I took this photo the…

It’s okay

I have to say that I’ve cut through this tunnel countless times, but it’s never looked quite as magical as this before. I don’t know if it was the golden hour light this evening or what, but it stopped me in my tracks. I half expected to come out the other end into another world….

A work in progress

I’m continuing to make my way through the “7 ways to be more kind to your mind” exercise/self-reflections that I found on Instagram from @laurajaneillustrations. Here’s the thought/action for Tuesday: “Choose to forgive yourself for still being in the “process.” Instead of saying “I can’t do this,” remind yourself that you are still learning, still…

You’re doing great

Goodness, it seems like the leaves are slow going this year. But I’m milking every glimpse of color I can find. Even the ones like these just starting the transition give me hope. Anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, I found an exercise/self-reflection on Instagram (@laurajaneillustrations) that I really liked: “7 ways to be more kind…

Ways to be more kind to your mind (Day 1)

I found an exercise/self-reflection on Instagram (@laurajaneillustrations) that I really liked: “7 ways to be more kind to your mind.” She breaks it down to one item per day for a full week. Looks like Sunday is Day 1, so I figure I’ll start there – and I thought I’d share, just in case you…