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As I received the text from my colleague for this week’s guest post, I was, once again, taught another lesson. The spot where I park my vehicle each day is between a prominent tree visible from my office window and a row of trees in the neighboring parking lot. Early in the spring, when there is a lot of bird activity, I often go out at the end of the day and find white spots of bird droppings on my windows or on the side of my van. It’s somewhat irritating, and I often find myself thinking unkind thoughts about those birds.
As I read about what Kelly McCoy, a member of our editorial team, is grateful for, it made me stop and think about how something that might be an annoyance for some can be a blessing for others. It’s all in how you look at it.
Kelly writes:
Most mornings, especially now that it’s getting warmer, I park in the Progressive Publishing parking lot, get out of the car and am hit with the sound of a meadowlark. It perches in one of the nearby trees and sings its heart out – and makes my day a little brighter for having noticed it.
In my 30-odd years on this earth, I have been fortunate enough to have traveled throughout the western half of the U.S., into Canada, and fairly recently, Hawaii. Beautiful places and impressive scenery – but often what sticks in my memory is the little things. A tiny blue-green lizard sitting on a rock sunning itself in southern California or an orange cat curled up on the step of an entirely brown house in coastal Oregon. I remember the smell of the plumerias outside where we stayed in Kauai and a street musician in Las Vegas.
Whether you travel far from home or not, there are things waiting to be noticed. Sights, smells, sounds that may have always been there or may be there just for today. I am grateful every day for the chance to take the blinders off and experience the little, free things life offers … just waiting to be noticed.
Thank you, Kelly, for such a great reminder to take time to see (and hear) and appreciate the little things. I’m so grateful to have you as a friend and co-worker, and I have learned much from you!
And, a special thank you to Fredric who was able to capture a photo (and add a cool “painting” effect) of our resident meadowlark, even if he was quite camera shy!
We also wanted to share a meadowlark “song” with you. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to record the one pictured above, but Kelly found a nice video online. Enjoy!
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