An intriguing flower provides diversion in the midst of the everyday routine.

Keep your eyes open as you make your way.

You never know what intriguing sights you’ll see.

Each can inspire in these and other ways:

- Providing the spark for creativity
- Giving you a spontaneous moment of amusement
- Breaking the predictable pattern of another everyday day

The WOW on this awning in downtown San Francisco made me smile instantly.

WOW.

Think about the last time your reaction to something was a simple, inspired, “WOW!”

What made you feel that way?

Now think about a project you’re working on or a goal you have.

If others were to be WOWed by the work when that project is complete, what would you have done to have inspired them in that way?

How can you get that job done most easily?

Speaking for myself, staying focused on the goal and keeping the work from getting too complicated leads to the most valued outcomes.

And WOW often comes when I’ve enjoyed the work, itself, while it’s underway.

Whatever the path is for you, do what you need to in order for your best work to emerge most easily.

And when you do, enjoy the “WOW!” when it comes your way!

The beautiful blue freedom of flying across the water at Santa Cruz calls…if you’re prepared.

It was an exhilarating sport to watch, and reminded me of this quote:

A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.
Charles Schwab

For what do you have unlimited enthusiasm?

Sometimes life tosses us around a bit, but we still come up smiling.

This poor “stress ball” shows the effects of his own stressful experience…having been tossed around by a dog…but has bounced back, still smiling.

In this case, I started the pedometer on my phone on a busy walking day.

When I checked the results later, it surprised and amused me:

1. It was amazing how quickly the miles added up.

2. The path showed that at one point, I was, literally, going in circles over the course of an hour or so. That’s when three members of my family tried to find each other on a large campus, and a very large crowd of people.

What simple data can you track that will tell you a few helpful and, perhaps, amusing things?

Roses are just starting to bloom in our part of the country.

This often-bountiful bush is just starting to bloom not far away from our home.

Flowers are probably popping up in your world, too.

Where are the places near you that you can count on for freshly blooming beauty now…or soon?

I was amused at this quick moment on a trip last fall to New York City.

A couple of policewomen couldn’t help but to glance for a moment at shoes on their rounds of the city.

After all, beautiful shoes are beautiful shoes, no matter who you are, or what job you walk.

We react and adapt when we must.

And when faced with a gray day, a bright, cheerful umbrella can go a long way to chase the blue and gray away.

What’s your best defense against an otherwise dreary day?

A spot of color.

A break in the drab.

A sign of hope that winter is, indeed, about to end.

Each path to a destination gets you there, sometimes in its own way and time.

And most journeys provide a few twists and turns along the way, of some kind.

As you think back over your life, which journeys have been your most interesting ones: the straight paths or the slightly less predictable kind?

And which journeys have been most valuable in your life: the straight-ahead-paths or the slightly meandering kind?