Excitement Needed?

When your life seems humdrum and routine or if the rat race pace has you frazzled with the same stuff day after day, perhaps you need to hit the brakes and slow down a bit. There is often an entire world that you’re missing if you just step back and slow down. Push something aside that is not absolutely necessary. It’s been said, “Stop and smell the roses,” but what happens if the roses aren’t in bloom? What happens if you’re in the midst of a storm? Can you see the beauty of the clouds or the lightning as it traces a path in the sky? You know it won’t rain forever. Keep watching for the rainbow.

Sometime you feel that you’re lost in a barren desert. There are creatures that live there, find it beautiful, and would die elsewhere. Follow their example and look for a cactus in bloom or a rock formation that’s been created just for you to enjoy. Most times there’s an oasis haven where life can be renewed; a place where your strength can be refreshed. There’s beauty that can be found in the shifting patterns of sand dunes that are shaped and reshaped by the wind.

Look around where you’re living. In spring there’s the greening of the grass and trees. Blossoms begin to fill the trees, bulbs push out tulips and jonquils, and who can forget the dandelions’ busts of “sunshine” in our lawns. Summer’s gardens begin to share their bounty. Row after row of beans, peppers, and tomatoes join with lettuce for fresh salads. Autumn prepares for the winter’s chill by displaying magnificent cloaks lined with a myriad of colors. Reds, oranges, yellows, and gold fabric fills the hills with exotic quilt-like patterns. Slowly they fade and turn brown baring the tree limbs that form patterns of shadow and light. Winter arrives blustery and cold, to decorate the now bare limbs with ermine-like coatings of snow and crystal crowns of ice sparkling in the sun and the fallen brown leaves are covered with a thick carpet of white. If you pause long enough and slow down to look around, you may find excitement in the natural things that you’ve hurried by and taken for granted.

Often there’s no need to take a vacation when things have piled up, causing problems and stress. Lean back in your chair, look out a window, and reflect on things that you see. Even if it’s a brick wall, look for patterns that might amuse you. Take a deep breath, relax, and think about something lovely that you’ve seen. Excitement can be discovered if you just take time.