A Moment to Relax...

Have you ever sat and been totally amazed by something extremely trivial? Many times people associate this behavior with children, but I think it is more connected to individuals who are completely relaxed. Sometimes allowing your mind a few minutes to decompress actually helps to relax you; and once you are calm the possibilities of what can be achieved are endless.

Recently I was taking a few minutes to enjoy some fresh air when I was suddenly mesmerized by melting snow. Ever so slowly, water was dripping down from the roof into a large pot on the ground, then making its way down through the dirt till it accumulated in the bottom tray. At the same time, the water was dripping directly into the tray - filling it up at an even faster pace. Since there was so much water everywhere the tray was in a constant state of overflow, which led to a perpetual, slow drip of water onto the pavement. This process may sound mundane - even bordering on foolish - but for some reason I found it captivating! As I sat watching the water slowly drip down onto the blacktop, I could feel the stress slipping away from my body. This had the same calming effect as sitting along side a flowing river. Have you ever noticed how relaxed you feel whenever you're near a body of water? That must be why people enjoy going to the beach so much.

When I took a step closer I noticed many of my surroundings staring back at me from the reflection. Isn't it amazing how the world looks so different in a reflection. Even though it is the same object(s), a new perspective changes the entire appearance. Then when you look up from the reflection, the object looks like itself again. When I stared into the puddle I could see the trees across the street, the blue afternoon sky, and the pot itself with its faded mums hanging over the edge. Individually these things wouldn't say much, but when put together they create a clear picture of the many pieces that form a person's environment: the sun starting to set on another day, the constant flow of water, or the trees and mums that have gone dormant for another winter! Each piece adds its own dimension and purpose to a landscape, whether it be for beauty or functionality, and is necessary when trying to understand how a place came to be.

After a few minutes of gazing at this dripping water I was completely refreshed. I got up, exercised for a little bit, then returned to work even more productive than I had been before. There is definitely some value in stopping to enjoy the simple things in life!

That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?