Leaves

This time of year leaves are everywhere. They blow into gutters, and yards, and are generally seen as nuisances. Yesterday, I looked them in a whole new way. I had never really seen a child play in a pile of leaves. The excitement, and shrieks of delight were audible from nearly everywhere. This little girl, perhaps 3 years of age, was having the time if her life with her newfound toy. She would bury herself in the red, orange, and gold leaves and then pop suddenly up in an attempt to surprise all of her enthralled onlookers. She would pick up an armful, and then throw them as she spun around, laughing as they flew towards us in the wind. It was such pure, simple, unadulterated fun. And I had been missing it. I was more concerned with the clutter leaves caused than the beauty they created.

It seems as though this is something I should learn from. This year especially, it seems much harder to give thanks, and honestly mean it. It's so much easier to be caught up in the mindless trudging and coping that takes over our lives, instead if the simple pleasures that slip by daily. This year, I've decided to look for the beauty, and count all the blessing that I can find. This year I've decided to play in the leaves.

White Space

Bus stops are all about small talk.
"How's the weather?"
"What is your dogs name?"
"How old is Suzy?"
It's all fluff, meaningless chatter to fill the noise. Silence is scary, because of the unknown. But what's unknown about it? What makes the unknown scary?
To me, silence is possibility. While it is fun to fill silence with noise, or sound, it's more fun to sit quietly. Silence is space to dream, to let thoughts expand and grow free from the pressures of noise.

Silence is the white wall of the world. Some people detest white walls in their homes- everything must be color, to make the space feel more "welcome." White walls are beautiful in their own right, full of possibility and promise.

Silence is dream space, and promise, and imagination, and maybe THAT'S what people are truly scared of.