Everyday Beauty
Two things happened.
First, I was on my way to work, mentally whining. I don't like waking up early every day, and sometimes it makes me grumpy. About the time I was daydreaming about my warm blankets, I pulled up to a stop sign to turn right and head to school. I paused and looked up through the windshield at a very lovely sunrise.
I must confess I appreciate that part of my drive to school every morning. Sitting at the stop sign, I can see for a long way into the distance, and I also happen to be facing directly east. I make it there every day just in time to see the sun coming up over the hills. There's a lake, and I live in a rural area, so the land is fairly undeveloped and pristine.
Anyway, a few days ago It dawned on me (okay, I know -- bad pun) that I get to see that stunning view every morning. I get up, drive my car through pastures and woods, and pull up to a perfect sunrise. Then I thought about how many years I've been teaching and did the math. Since I have to wake up early for my job, I've seen approximately 1,700 awesome sunrises at that stop sign.
Wow.
Second, I had a conversation with my brother. I won't recount it word for word; we like to talk. The theme of our conversation was pretty much how we have learned to enjoy the little things, the experiences. After all, life is made up of lots and lots of single days and moments.
When we hung up, I decided to give myself a challenge -- to find all the simple beauty I could in one normal day. So yesterday morning I popped my camera in my pocket and set out for school. I was hoping to find ten worthy things of beauty in my pedestrian Thursday.
The Results:
#1 -- I promise you, God has a sense of humor. I imagine him saying, "You wanna take a picture of the sunrise? I got one for you!" Yesterday's sunrise was fantastic. Some of my students even commented on it. This picture in no way does it justice. Breathtaking.
#2 -- When I shuffled the playlist on my mp3 player, this song came up. Very appropriate. I love Alabama Shakes. They are one of my new favorite bands. If you haven't given them a listen, you really, really should. Their most popular song is called "Hold On," and it's good. But I think this one might be my favorite.
#3 -- When I read this sentence from a student's research paper, I laughed until tears filled my eyes. Hilarious.
#4 -- My student's hands.
#10 -- Wintertime offers beautiful plants, too.
#11 -- Bailey!
Well, I set out yesterday morning looking for ten beautiful, everyday things, and I wasn't disappointed. After all, "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork."(Psalm 19:1)
First, I was on my way to work, mentally whining. I don't like waking up early every day, and sometimes it makes me grumpy. About the time I was daydreaming about my warm blankets, I pulled up to a stop sign to turn right and head to school. I paused and looked up through the windshield at a very lovely sunrise.
I must confess I appreciate that part of my drive to school every morning. Sitting at the stop sign, I can see for a long way into the distance, and I also happen to be facing directly east. I make it there every day just in time to see the sun coming up over the hills. There's a lake, and I live in a rural area, so the land is fairly undeveloped and pristine.
Anyway, a few days ago It dawned on me (okay, I know -- bad pun) that I get to see that stunning view every morning. I get up, drive my car through pastures and woods, and pull up to a perfect sunrise. Then I thought about how many years I've been teaching and did the math. Since I have to wake up early for my job, I've seen approximately 1,700 awesome sunrises at that stop sign.
Wow.
Second, I had a conversation with my brother. I won't recount it word for word; we like to talk. The theme of our conversation was pretty much how we have learned to enjoy the little things, the experiences. After all, life is made up of lots and lots of single days and moments.
When we hung up, I decided to give myself a challenge -- to find all the simple beauty I could in one normal day. So yesterday morning I popped my camera in my pocket and set out for school. I was hoping to find ten worthy things of beauty in my pedestrian Thursday.
The Results:
#1 -- I promise you, God has a sense of humor. I imagine him saying, "You wanna take a picture of the sunrise? I got one for you!" Yesterday's sunrise was fantastic. Some of my students even commented on it. This picture in no way does it justice. Breathtaking. #2 -- When I shuffled the playlist on my mp3 player, this song came up. Very appropriate. I love Alabama Shakes. They are one of my new favorite bands. If you haven't given them a listen, you really, really should. Their most popular song is called "Hold On," and it's good. But I think this one might be my favorite.
#3 -- When I read this sentence from a student's research paper, I laughed until tears filled my eyes. Hilarious.
#4 -- My student's hands.
#5 -- The Crazy Collage -- It has built up organically from notes, pictures, and other gifts.
#6 -- A Lovely Card from a Friend. Thanks, Mel.
#7 -- This is my new "teacher" bag. 
#8 -- I'll have to write the story
behind the lava lamp later.
# 9 -- Pansies!
#10 -- Wintertime offers beautiful plants, too.
#11 -- Bailey!
#12 -- I made this card for my mother-in-law's birthday.
Well, I set out yesterday morning looking for ten beautiful, everyday things, and I wasn't disappointed. After all, "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork."(Psalm 19:1)
Comments
Post a Comment