Dedee
So, as part of my mindset change, I'm trying to focus on the nice.

I wander past nice all the time.  Cool patterns in the snow.  Skies that are riddled with clouds and color.  That kind of stuff happens.  But lately all I've been seeing is the smog in the air and the dirt in the snow and the fact that my world is drab.  Brown roof-tops, brown dirt where the snow is melting. Dirty gray/green air.  Mountains that are a boring white and blue.  Skies that are grey.

But I happened to look up this morning, out my office window, and saw nice.  My view is mostly blocked, out my front window, by the houses across the street, and behind them, a couple of businesses.  But in between all of those things you can see some mountain.  Two mountains coming together.

And for a moment, I just stopped at look.  Nestled right up into the pass was light coming through the grey.  It wasn't anything particularly colorful, more grey on grey, but there was bright and dark and contrast and, as it hit me, clarity.

We have a storm coming in and the wind before the storm has scrubbed my valley clean of the smog.  I could see the details of the clouds.  And I loved it, for just a few moments.  It wasn't very much of the sky, just a little corner, but there it was.

It's gone now.  The contrast is gone.  There are all sorts of clouds happening though.  I can't see them as well because the impending sunrise contrast is gone.

There could be something to be learned here.  That contrast is what gives interest to the world around us.  That diamonds shine better against a black background.  That there are always spots of beauty in the earth, if you look hard enough.  That different can be amazing.  You can figure it out.

As for me, I'm off to get stuff done today.  I have goals to reach and a sick child to care for and nice to find.

2 Responses
  1. This is one of my hugest struggles in life. I feel like my factory settings, as it were, have me looking for the not-so-nice ALL the time. I have to fight to do otherwise. But like you said, it's that contrast that amazes. And having to fight has a power all of it own. It's nearly 10am here and I haven't even looked out the window today. Thank you for this awesome reminder.


  2. Anonymous Says:

    I'm having the exact same feelings about all the brown and gray. Where I am, there was about an hour of sunshine this afternoon and I freaking soaked it up. I was so happy during those moments I could hardly stand it. I need the sun to come back. Real. Yellow. Sun.
    Love this post. Love you.