Noticing

The other afternoon, I couldn't help but notice the blaze of orange reddish leaves against the dark grey of clouds rolling in. It was majestic.

As always, the swamps have been turning color first. While the green grass fades, the trees in the wet areas start showcasing their beautiful autumn shades. I have a few that I look for now every year. All these things I never noticed when I was working full-time. All these things I never noticed when I was sleep-deprived and just trying to take each day as it came.

I'm noticing now, and have been for a few years.

When I'm quarry walking, I spy a spray of light green ferns trying to stick out early autumn. I spy a small rippling stream of water, with tiny, yellow leaves leisurely floating around. I spy a single autumn leaf fallen on the ground. It's the contrast of autumn that I notice the most- the color against the darkening, greying backdrop of the rest of the world.

The busier I get, the more important it becomes to slow down and notice the things above. It calms my mind. There is just something to say about getting out of your own head for a minute or two.

There is just something about noticing the changing world around you, and choosing to take that minute to enjoy yourself and the display that mother nature has to offer us.