Happy beautiful October!
We have been enjoying a beautiful stretch of weather here for the past
week, and unless something surprising jumps into the mix, the forecast calls for an extended period of gorgeous Autumn weather. Sweaters in the mornings and evenings, and shirt-sleeves during the day. So nice!
Only a few trees are just now beginning to show signs of coloration, but the Honey Locust trees outside my windows are already nearly bare, being the last to burst forth with new leaves in springtime and the first to drop them in fall. A clear sign beyond the thermometer that Autumn is in the air.
How has the weather and everything been going in your area? Is it beautiful today in your neighborhood?
A few days ago, the out-the-door temperature with my little chihuahua was 41°F and I could see my breath. My kind of day, so off we ventured around the block for our early morning walk, she in her Mexican serape coat and me in my windbreaker and shorts. What we discovered was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
- A beautiful Cardinal at a feeder
- A hardy little dandelion defying the seasonal change
- A colorful bulldog sculpture piece guarding a front porch
- Gorgeous yellow, heart-shaped leaves just over a fence
- Someone’s decorative hanging Cardinal birdhouse
- A bright-colored blue bunny statuette perched on a rock
- A gathering of brightly colored leaves which had fallen on dried grass in a rock garden
- An owl perched in a tree above us
- And more!
Walking along, I noticed a unique birdhouse of sorts, an old man or tree spirit of the woods. I stopped to take a photo of it when the lady of the
house came outside. Complementing her on the amazing birdhouse, she revealed she had found it on Amazon in the springtime. No birds had taken up residence in it all summer, but she liked it as an ornament anyway, so had left it hanging.
We struck up a conversation and talked for quite a while about the neighborhood, birds, and other things. Walking past her home now each morning, we exchange greetings and sometimes stop to chat again. Because I simply took a walk around the block and stopped for a moment to compliment her on the birdhouse, we had each made a new friend that morning. Isn’t that wonderful?
Last, but definitely not least, I stumbled upon a garage window facing the sidewalk. Someone had taken the time to paint a positive message on it for everyone to see as they drove and walked past. A smiling sun with the message — “A BRIGHTER DAY IS COMING.”
Beauty and kindness are all around us when we simply are aware and take a moment to slow down and notice.
And isn’t that a wonderful and beautiful thing, too? To paraphrase Mr. Rogers, who has influenced my work in so many wonderful ways — it truly was a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
And I was thankful for every one of those things that morning. The gorgeous day, a walk and healthy exercise with my dog, seeing all the amazing sights (an owl!!), an inspirational message, and for having made a new friend.
Living a life filled with gratitude, even for the small things, is a much more enjoyable, healthy, and fulfilling way to go thru life. I believe it to be a giant step towards finding happiness in our lives. So, what are you grateful for today? Will you venture out to discover the beautiful things and people in your neighborhood? And remember to be thankful?
“Thank You!” for visiting with us today, and for taking a
few moments of your day to share with us here.
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And to join us again next Monday, when we continue the series about living a life of gratitude leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Best Wishes & Blessings! — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻 🍂 🍁 🍂 🧡
Continue with the Living A Life Of Gratitude series with Part 5 — “Living A Life Of Gratitude — Thankful for the Early Years”
In case you missed it, I invite you to catch up on our weekly Monday Morning series — Living A Life of Gratitude, Mental Health Benefits, and Physical Health Benefits leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
You may also enjoy — “Happy October! Welcome Glorious Autumn!” and “Take A Walk To A Park for Healthy Exercise & Fun!”
If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “Mitakuye Oyasin — We Are All Related,” and “Walking A Mile In Another’s Moccasins; What Tracks Will We Leave Behind?”
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James Milson - The Writing Pages 