Tuesday, September 29, 2015

What Have I Been Missing?



Most days I try to take a walk around the campus where I work during my lunch break, and I generally walk in pretty much the same area.  So, yesterday when I noticed these pale lavender and white flowers for the very first time in my remembrance, it made me stop and wonder, what have I been missing?   I know I have walked past this very planter many times in the past few months, and it is obvious by the size of the plant that the flowers have been there all season.  So why have I not noticed them before?


(source: Star in the Sky wallpaper, unfortunately not my own photo)
 
Several evenings ago I spent an hour or so after work digging grass out of my backyard vegetable garden (a regular on-going battle).   As the last bit of light was fading from the sky, I lay back on the lawn and watched the first stars of the evening gradually appear in the darkening sky above me.  It was a beautiful, calming sight, and I realized that this was the first time all summer that I had taken the time to lay on the lawn and look at the stars.  Why don't I do that more often? 
 
Work, family, church and community obligations.  Household chores and yard work.  Errands, shopping, and entertainment.   TV and the Internet.  There are so many things to capture our attention every day and every week.   How often do I take a few minutes to just enjoy what is around me?  To stop and smell the roses in my very own yard?  To relax on the grass and enjoy the night sky?   What have I been missing?