What a difference a week can make. Last week, nearly my entire back yard was covered in snow. This week, I can see my lawn again. This is big news considering that the ground has been snow covered since late December. At its peak, the snow was easily up to my hips!
I am looking forward to the Spring. Green slowly returns to my woods and the air is filled with the sound of birds chirping. Rustling in the brush alerts me to squirrels and chipmunks, porcupines and fisher cats. Last night, I heard coyotes howling close by. I have to be careful with Lucky when that occurs since a pack could likely take him down if they use a concerted effort. We saw the first deer of the season last week, and soon I would expect a flock of turkey to make an appearance, as they do every year. Animals do not recognize property rights...at least not ours! Animals do mark their territory, however, and I am sure that animals can recognize the scent of a predator. Can you? I doubt it. When I was younger, I knew a boy who later went on to kill his girlfriend with a knife. Nothing about him shouted killer. He was laid back, an athlete, didn't do any drugs that I knew of...and yet he went on to become a killer. Stress and emotions can lead to ugly changes in some people. That is all I can figure. I have noticed that it is the little things that can lead to large swings in my moods, both good and bad. When my wife was still alive and my life was disintegrating around me, I found it was the little things that bothered me most. The business I built over a ten-year period was crumbling around me, and yet it bothered me less than not having the time to get caught up on my household chores. When my entire life was shattering around me, my attention was drawn by minutia. I can recall small negative details in great detail. Meanwhile, I can barely remember signing my divorce papers. I can remember driving back from the lawyers that day...it was raining, my wife and I were both crying, sad tunes were on the radio. Neither of us were happy. Even now, I feel like crying dredging up those memories. Small details can lead to large emotions. Thank God that small things can lead to positive feelings as well! Many people seem to look for their happiness in big things. For months they look forward to going away on a trip. They fly half way around the world and put themselves into months of debt for a week of "happiness". I always find these people the least happy of all. It is so much better to be able to be happy in the moment...let little things drive your happiness! A hug, a look, a good conversation. These are what I try to have drive my happiness. The feel of a cool breeze on a warm Spring day. Yesterday was a beautiful Spring day, and I was happy. A number of little things just combined to make for a great day. To start, the sky was blue and it was warm enough to go out without a coat At 8:30, I went out to meet a lady to sell her a pocketbook (don't ask). After selling her the pocketbook, we chatted for about ten minutes. She was pretty and easy to talk with and I enjoyed our talk. It's nice to get out and meet new people sometimes. After I returned home, I checked my Facebook page and there was a message from the woman I had just met. It was the kindest thing that anyone has said to me in quite a while and it made me feel good all day. She said "You are one of the most inspiring, endearing and interesting people I've ever met! Good luck to you and your family! Sounds like everyone is on the right path!! Have a blessed day!!" What a pick me up! Oftentimes we go through life and talk with others and never know if what we said had any impact on them or if they even listened to what we said. In this instance, I know what I said was heard and appreciated. It gave me a great pick me up. Again, it just goes to show how the little things we do can have a large impact on the people we have contact with. Here was a woman I had never met, who said something so kind that it brightened my whole day. Unless she reads this blog, or I see her again in the future, she'll never know how much that small act of kindness (a pm sharing her thoughts) impacted my entire day. Later, I spent some time with my daughters on the front porch. Although we didn't say much while we were out there, the moments we had together, just enjoying the breeze and each other's company are the things that my memories are made of. As I enter the Fall of my years, I hope that more of my memories will be like those moments on my porch. Sharing a cool Spring breeze with the ones I love.
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