There Is Beauty All Around

Oh, come on. I had to use the ever-classic hymn in the title of a blog post. Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions, and not taking the time to ENJOY the amazing things we've been blessed with? Sometimes I feel like that. Today as I left my office and was walking back to my car I was feeling like it. Thinking about how I was tired. Thinking about how it was Friday. Thinking about how I was hungry--again. As I crossed a graffitied (is that a word?!) bridge, passed a run down billboard and trash on the sides of the street I was almost to my car. I looked ahead of me at a car repair shop I usually parked by. There were lots of run down cars and the usual dirt, grease, peeling paint, and grime that accompany a place like that. And then I saw the most beautiful cherry blossoms. Lovely! Right in the middle of all those cars! And it made me think, just for a second, about how lucky I am to have what I have and be where I am. And it made me realize that if I would just trade a few minutes of my meaningless thoughts for grateful ones my life would be better. I'm going to strive for that.