Observing

The Lovely Sharon has been in Nebraska the last several days attending a family reunion. I had an arbitration hearing last week and was unable to join her. I woke up Saturday with laryngitis and the lingering effects of a cold. I could not talk. I am certain that many people who know me would think this was a good thing. Maybe so. I decided to sit on my front porch to drink ice water and read a novel. I read for about an hour and then just sat observing the morning. Our front porch, the steps and the walk are really beautiful and serene. Soft outdoor chairs and love seat are there to relax on. There are a number of larger planters with greenery and colorful flowers. As I silently sat, I watched and listened to the birds. I watched the bees flit from planter to planter. The flower beds at the street end of the walk were beautiful.

The sky was blue, a beautiful blue. I have always thought that the blue Utah sky was something wonderful and Saturday it appeared never more so. Across the street is the 12th green of the Hidden Valley Country Club golf course. Every few minutes a golf cart drove around the green. Through the trees I could see golfers putting on the green. Despite the activity on the course, it was fairly quiet from the golf course and the serenity of the morning was not disturbed.

Our sprinklers had gone on earlier and had watered the front yard and the flowers in the front yard flower beds. As I sat there, the sunlight was just right to cause the flowers to sparkle as the rays of sun shone on the wet flowers. For some reason, maybe it was my own silence, as I sat there I was able to keenly observe the sights and sounds around me. It was almost strange as the sounds of nature were almost symphonic. The colors around me seemed bolder than usual. Whites, yellows, reds, purples and greens of many different shades made it feel like an impressionistic painting.

I suppose I sat there and looked and listened for some thirty minutes. I finally walked into the house to retrieve my camera. I took a few pictures but the pictures did not reflect the actual beauty of the moment. All in all, I was glad I couldn’t talk that morning, I was glad I decided to read a book in the morning sun and I was particularly glad I took some time to observe the world around me. The sights and sounds of the morning created a joy within me that lasted throughout the day.

I hope I take the time again in the not to distance future to look around, to observe and to allow myself to taken in the sights and sounds around me.