Fresh Eyes

A little bit of heaven

The gift of a great view, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Looking out over the beautiful blue Pacific ocean from Nepenthe, a restaurant in Big Sur, CA, is one of my places in the world (well, of the places I've seen so far).

Where's that little bit of heaven place for you?

Sometimes difference counts and sometimes it doesn't

Egg buffet, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Some differences count in the final outcome.

And some differences don't.

I had no idea that eggs come in so many different colors - including light blue - but they do.

And if I want eggs for a photo, it's the visual interest of either strong differences or great symmetry that I want.

But if I'm making an omelet where the inside of the egg is what counts, then any of these fresh eggs will do.

What decisions do you have to make soon?

Which differences count in your final outcome, and which ones don't?

Gifts arrive of many types

The gift of a great view, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Gifts can come in many different shapes and sizes over the course of life.

Some of the best ones have no wrapping at all.

They're the gift of a moment, a sight, a shared laugh, story or thought.

Like a beautiful cloud, they can be subtle, rapidly created, suddenly here, and just as suddenly, gone.

Such moments are ones you could miss if you don't see them for what they are...one of life's best, brightest, sweetest presents.

This is the view - a gift itself - that our son, a high school senior, and I shared during a leisurely lunch as we drove north up the California coast, returning home after college visits.

I knew when I took this photo that it was capturing a glorious day at one of the world's most beautiful spots.

But I knew even more as I caught it that this photo was recording an experience I felt very thankful for, Matt's and my shared lunch. Those opportunities will soon be more limited when he goes to college in the fall.

Catch the gift and be thankful for the beautiful, often fleeting, perfect moments that life offers.

They're so quickly here, and just as quickly gone.

You never know quite what you'll see next

Optical illusion, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Turn the corner - any corner - and what will you see?

What you expect? A standard sidewalk perhaps.

Or something unexpected? Here, an otherworldly scene of surprise and wonder met us as we made our way to an evening event.

For a moment, a mirror

For a moment, a mirror, originally uploaded by jcgr.

A problem - a puddle - becomes a source of beauty - a mirror reflecting the beautiful blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and stark winter trees above.

Breaking through

Pastels and silhouettes, originally uploaded by jcgr.

We're working our way through a heavy weather week in California.

Here a few pastel clouds I saw on a brief walk break up an otherwise a gray day.

A quick walk...at least for me...brings fresh energy and fresh ideas, every single time I take a walk.

What types of quick breaks most predictably bring lightness and fresh ideas and energy to you?

Beauty in transition

Natural sculpture...here now, soon gone, originally uploaded by jcgr.

A natural if temporary sculpture is created by a tulip petal.

Fresh and vibrant in early bloom, here it morphs into sworls and curls, completing its full cycle in beautiful ways.

Make your mark, naturally

Natural stripes, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Late afternoon shadows make their mark in a strong, unmistakable way.

How can you make your mark in a clear, natural, positive way today?

Fresh start, new year

Clouds, originally uploaded by Camera Is On.

A new year, a new decade dawns.

It's full of promise and potential.

And, if we let them, positive new habits can form, step by step, day by day.

Attention to even a few simple changes, fresh perspectives and repeated actions on the path to our goals can lead us to bigger, brighter, better results.

A fresh year unfolds.

Editorializing about change

Editorializing on change, originally uploaded by jcgr.

"It ain't gonna change itself."

That line in a San Jose shop window referred to the seeming never-endingness of diapers, when your children are in that phase of life.

Yet, that thought applies to any type of change.

Changes can't just be wished into being. You have to help make them happen.

It takes rolling up your sleeves, getting busy, doing things that sometimes are not not now easy for you to do.

So for example, you may have to:

- Change a habit

- Take a class

- Practice a new skill and then practice again (and again and again...)

- Change the way you think or what you believe

- Change the way you spend your time, talent, energy, attention

You have to do your part for changes to be made.

What are a few changes you want to make?

What are the actions you must take for those changes to take shape?