Days of Whine and Roses...

After yesterday's whine-laden post, I decided not to just sit on my butt today, feeling blue. I got some really great comments that made me think (more smoke) and you all said things I took to heart (thanks for the love!). I realized I am definitely not alone in my occasionally cerulean world… that other people struggle just like I do, feeling lost and passionless at times. And I realized that although I'm grateful for my blessings, as the Dale Carnegie quote I posted this week notes, I’ve fallen back on my human nature and I haven’t been paying attention to the roses growing outside my own window. So today I went looking for some roses to sniff… I went seeking some passion (no, not that kind… get your minds out of the gutter!). I decided to be ‘in the moment’ and find some magic…

I live in a really beautiful part of the country… the Shenandoah Valley. I’m surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are just beginning their annual change, going from bolts of deep green velvet to the most amazing autumn-hued quilt. Though I complain a lot about this area being dull or too conservative, I do love it here in the fall.

So after dropping Ryan at school, Sundance (my gorgeous, ever-faithful, 4-legged best bud) and I headed to a new place for our morning walk. It’s a park not far from us, but unlike the one we normally traipse around, it’s completely wooded and hilly and you feel like you’re deep in the mountains. We hiked for 3 miles, completely alone, except for a family of deer who were grazing, comfortable in their surroundings, unafraid and undisturbed by our intrusion. I sat on a rock, my boy at my feet, and just watched them for a while.

Sitting there, I realized that I’m doing a lot right in my life. And the things I’m doing wrong, I can fix with some effort. I also realized that I’m not really sitting still… it’s just that I’m not where I thought I’d be in life at this moment. But you know what? I have never been where I thought I'd be at any given moment. And wonderful things have come from my off-course, why-bother-to-consult-a-map trek so far. More wonderful things are bound to come, right? Yes, I’m sure of it.

So today looks much brighter than yesterday… much more mango-tango than cerulean… and it smells a bit like roses. I found my little bit of magic… I found the moment I needed. As for the passion… well, I’m working on that… but it’ll come… I have faith, in me and in the Universe.