Amid the Ordinary, Beauty

Possibly my favorite time of day during the work week is the 20 minutes or so between dropping my daughter off at daycare and pulling into the parking lot at work. It may be the only time during the day where I’m all alone. On days like today, when the sun is so vivid and warm on my face, I find my typical worrisome or self-defeating thoughts swept to the back of my mind and I’m able to think strictly about the beautiful scenes I see along the way.

Today, I saw two Canada geese in flight, low to the ground and majestic. I saw my favorite pond, which I think is part of a nature reserve. The pond seems to change daily. I’ve watched its transition from frozen water that looks like milk glass and the brown, crispy vegetation surrounding it, to the first sprouts of green and ducks floating atop the choppy blue water. I saw a few areas of dense trees, still leafless, standing tall and straight, forming an interesting natural pattern. I’ve passed by the local non-franchise ice cream stand and drive-in movie theatre that have somehow survived a changing community and commercial development all around.

When I got to work yesterday, I saw two very large Canada geese sitting on top of the building, honking and watching us “rats” arrive for the race. I couldn’t help but smile and enjoy the sight of them with their snaky black necks, tilting their head sideways to keep an eye on activity below from their lofty perch.

As the weather warms and the sun returns to its lofty perch on a more regular basis, my head has cleared a little. Now, I can see and appreciate the little oases of beauty that exist between the ordinary and ugly, even along busy commuter routes and highways where we usually rush through our lives taking in the world through tunnel vision.