This evening driving home, I saw a bird trying to catch a grasshopper. I laughed as it tried to hop instead of fly across the road to follow its intended target.It finally settled on the sidewalk, in what I imagined to be a state of bewilderment. I felt sorry for the one, and cheered for the other. But those seconds were almost cartoon-like, and an unexpected delight.
A couple of days ago, I stepped to the rear of a large building as I answered my cell phone. Wildflowers of yellow and red-orange and a few purples were everywhere! It looked like someone had planted a garden but no longer tended to it. Nature was taking care just fine. Nature. Natural. Lovely. I felt as if I had found a secret place and the flowers were there just for me.
Looking for delights can only increase our altertness and fine-tune our awareness. I'm reminded of a time a few years ago when someone asked me, "What do you like?"
My approximate answer was, "Dark chocolate, a blue heron standing by a pond, the smell of fresh cut lemons, Beethoven's Third Symphony, Italian food, the color blue. What do you like?"
Later, I kept thinking of other things I could have said. "The smell of grass when it is being mowed, acoustic guitar, wine and cheese, cheese and fruit, the cry of a newborn, eating chocolate chips out of the bag, The Blue Angels, leather jackets, violins, tuxedoes, jacuzzis..."
For days, I would think I should have said this and this and this. I started a notebook of "Things I Like," and filled many pages. I believe the same will happen with a notebook of daily delights -- we'll just keep finding more. Looking for good things, delightful things, and things we like can only do good things.
Whatsovever things are lovely, think on these things.
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