I was wrapping up some work late this Friday afternoon and had downloaded some photographs I needed from the camera, which I sat on my desk, when my 7 year old little girl came in and asked if she could take some pictures. I've been impressed with what she can produce and I want to encourage it as much as possible so I unplugged the camera and handed it to her. The photo above was the first one she shot. When I was downloading additional pictures this evening it popped up and made me pause......because I had wanted to take this exact picture myself.
But she took the time to do it.
I've been crazy busy these last few months, both with moving & home renovations and work. This past month of April I logged in more hours than any month since breaking out on my own. It's no wonder I've felt unable to enjoy the peace and solitude out here on the Hill. But I'm trying. This place exudes the sort of ambiance to inspire even the most left-brained of people. Just breathing it in makes you feel alive.
So we have this long old hedge of lilacs between the house and front pasture. The oldest of the bushes extend 10' into the air and they've been covered in blooms for over a week. And the whole homesite is fragranced with these things. So, naturally, a bouquet ended up in the house. The other morning I looked at these blooms backlit by the rising sun and thought what a great snapshot of a farm kitchen. And then went on about my business.
So, in honor of "stopping to smell the lilacs", here are a few mundane moments from this past week:
Read a chapter to my daughter before bed
Had chicken wings with my son at a sports bar
Watched a giant hawk soar high over me and heard it call out
Stood on our hay wagon at the top of the hill in the back pasture with a buddy and breathed in spring as the breeze lifted through the meadow grass and the sun set
Had a great blue heron fly overhead through the trees in the moonlight
Stared out at the stars
Kissed my wife goodbye as she left for four days
Stood in the middle of barn swallows diving for insects like acrobats
Walked to the mailbox and realized its the same distance it was for me to step out our front door and walk downtown
Made lunch for my mom
Planted a tree
Life is good.
3 comments:
Now that sounds like enjoying life. I'm a little jealous actually, haha. But I'm in no hurry to grow up yet.
awesome!
Maybe you could get your daughter her own digital camera for her birthday. Perhaps even a used one from eBay or a refurbished one from a manufacturer. I did that for my sons a year or two ago. They have both taken to making animations with them -- they build Lego sets with characters in them and do stop-motion animation, stitching the photos together in Windows Movie Maker. This was entirely their idea. I bought them "cheap but decent" cameras, refurbished, each under $100 because kids can lose or break such things, but they've treated them well and have explored their creativity with them.
Troy-I don't see you growing up any time soon.
Jim-we've debated about the camera gift for Christmas, but I think we'll be getting one for her birthday.
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