Melting kindness

Constant kindness can accomplish much.  As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. – Albert Schweitzer

Happy Thursday!  Thanks for stopping by!  Here's to a day of opportunities to melt away misunderstandings, mistrust and hostility!  Enjoy the moments of kindness you share and receive.

Careful to make clear
points with kindness as your
intent.

Work to gradually melt the obstacles in your path!

One melting moment at a time.

A day of kindness can make a difference!

Change as a way to perfection

Perfection is immutable.  But for things imperfect, change is the way to perfect them. – Owen Feltham

Do you really think perfection is attainable, let alone immutable especially in nature?  Isn't it the process in nature that makes it perfect?  The process of changing makes things perfect?  When is the exact moment of perfection?  Is it the exact moment in the process you've personally defined as not being able to go any further?  The moment where you can't add more or subtract anything.   We can always change something can't we?  

Let's take bananas for an example.  When is the exact moment they are "perfect" for making banana bread?  I guess we'd have to wait and see how it enhanced the bread after baking it.  What if it is the first time you've made the bread, would you know if the bananas were perfect or not?  If the bread turns out, will you remember the next time what they looked like so you can recreate the perfect loaf?  Or if it didn't turn out, will you wait longer or shorter before you decide the bananas are ready?  A banana is "perfect" in nature right?  But a perfect shaped banana isn't perfect tasting when it is green.  It is better when it is the "perfect" shade of yellow right?  Maybe you think it's perfect when there are a few brown spots on it, as that means the sweetness is coming out more.  The different changes in the banana make it perfect for more than one person.  The process of the banana changing is perfect.

Hmmm....I'm hoping the perfect loaf of banana bread magically appears soon.  I think these bananas might just be past their perfection stage, what do you think?

Happy Wednesday ~ thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of perfection in the day!

Even the fortune cookie company
knows perfection is in the process.

Maybe two stages added together
will be perfect??

Something new in something unpleasant

If we do not find anything pleasant, at least we shall find something new. - Voltaire

Yesterday marked another day of snow.  It was a common theme to hear "I'm so sick of the snow", "I'm ready for Spring", "Ugh...not more snow."   Now, I'm starting to get more concerned about having all this snow and the weather turning warm too quickly.  Melting too quickly isn't a good thing.  All unpleasant thoughts, so how do I get back into a better way of looking at this part of "spring"?  Look for something new in it, that's how!

As I looked at the fresh, heavy, wet snow, I tried to see something different in it.  It is really very pretty to see the trees covered with snow.  I find it fascinating how one tree can be covered with snow, and the one next to it is bare.  How does that happen?  I find it interesting how a very thin piece of wire can hold a 1/2 inch of snow.  What holds it there?  The snow and ice that accumulates on the window as a storm passes creates pretty crystals.  It is kind of fun to take time to look and see something new.  While I still long for the day when the deck, table and chairs are clear from snow, I can still enjoy the way the snow paints the surfaces in many different ways.  All white, but still different depending upon the surface it lands.  Just like our thoughts!

Happy Tuesday ~ thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of finding something new in the unpleasant things of your day!

How does the snow
stay on the wire?

Pretty cool that it does!

Ice crystals

From a different angle sparkle
more than the first glance

That's a lot of snow taking up my
sitting space!

Top of the tree covered,
nothing on the side of it!

Ah....some day soon, this is where I will
sit and enjoy the sunshine! 

Tip the cup

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled.  The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. – Ray Bradbury

Incredible...another day with 6 inches of snow.  Later today, when the weather warms up, it will look as though we didn't even get more snow.  Last year at this time, we barely had any snow on the ground.

It's nice to remember the beautiful stuff that we've retained as memories.  Pull them out when you're not too tickled about the current status of things.  What beautiful thoughts keep you going when you're presented with something you hadn't planned on?

Happy Snowy Monday - thanks for stopping by - enjoy your moments of letting the beautiful stuff out!

When it looks like this...

And it is heavy and wet...

And you have to pave a new path

Think of something warm,
and beautiful

And tip out a memory of beautiful moments!

Little things are important

The human tendency to regard little things as important has produced very many great things. – G C Lichtenberg

Last night I was goofing around with my camera taking pictures of things from different angles.  I didn't have a plan of what I wanted to capture, just random stuff.   I tried a couple different objects.  I had a pencil, paper, and the camera.  I wrote "I love you" on the paper, and set the pencil down and took a picture.  I walked away to do something and came back to find "I love you too" written on the paper.  It made me smile to find the note back.

Yes, it's the little things that are important in life.  Even when life gets busy, a small little note to someone might just be the little thing that makes you smile.

Happy Sunday ~ Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy the day, I hope you have many moments to treasure the little things!

Pencil and paper

A little note

The little things count!

Idleness as a way to original thinking

We owe most of our great inventions and most of the achievements of genius to idleness – either enforced or voluntary.  The human mind prefers to be spoon-fed with the thoughts of others, but deprived of such nourishment it will, reluctantly, begin to think for itself – and such thinking, remember, is original thinking and may have valuable results. – Agatha Christie

Ever have one of those weeks when time flies by so quickly, you miss doing something that you like to do on a daily basis?  Frequently what happens is we give up the important things in life like exercising and eating right.  We end up rushing through things just to keep a float.  I tend to think that when we are going at warp speed, we don't taking enough time in the "idleness stage".  The stage where we are open to thinking of things in an innovative way.  We tend to get to the point where we search for answers from others instead of creating the answers or seeking a new way of looking at things and solving it on our own.  Is it really nourishing to our creative minds to simply get the answers?  Or is it better to create the answers by taking time to think things through?  I guess it depends upon the situation and the time available.  Either way, idleness provides the time and the opportunity to do original thinking.

Yesterday, I chose to take a break from blogging, while I enjoyed the brief break, I missed it.  I enjoy blogging everyday.  It forces me to take a break from my daily routine and think of things differently.  At the end of the day, still giving myself permission to skip one day of blogging, I was looking out our back patio door.  The sun was melting the snow on the roof and creating the effect of rain falling onto the deck.  That's not really anything original or creative.  With the sun shining through the "rain" it reminded me that spring is coming and it will soon be nice enough to sit outside, relax and pause life for a moment or two.

As I was looking out through the window, the images made me want to grab the camera to capture the moment.  Then I started thinking and wondering about the people who designed the camera and the digital features.  I'm amazed at how it can capture all the things I see when I look out the window.  How it can adjust to different views and create unique images still amazes me.  Perhaps, someone who was just sitting there thinking there must be a way to capture what we see on a medium past our thoughts, had to have had a role in the design and features of a digital camera?  The results of just sitting idle and looking out a window allow the opportunity to pause life.  The mind is truly amazing when we give it time to create, think about things differently, and not just accept the first answer.  Thank goodness for idleness and innovation!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Happy Saturday ~ Enjoy the idle moments in your day!

Capturing a splash

Capturing light reflection and a splash

Focusing up close on the drips on the window

Focusing on the distant rails

Focusing on the rails reflection, but still catching
the splash

Amazing how the camera can adjust to
catch so many different images at once!

It's important to look for the grey matter

If you see the world in black and white, you’re missing important grey matter. – Jack Fyock

It is March, the weather is as unpredictable as the weather people can predict.  Yesterday it was warm enough to melt the snow off the roads.  The same snow that had caused school closings and cancellations the day before.  If anything in the world can prove you can't look at things strictly from the black and white mode its the weather!

So...what's grey on a very cold morning?  Just to name a few, there's the frost, the smoke from the chimney fires, and the trees that haven't started budding yet.  Yes, I guess it's true, if you just look for the black and white, you miss the grey matter.  The sun shining on the trees reveals the glistening white frost.  The frost looks a little grey depending upon what surface it clings too.  The beauty it creates is worth looking at!

Happy Thursday!  Thanks for stopping by!  I'm wishing you moments today to see the grey matter and make it matter in your life!