Live More Beautifully At The Office

Over the years I've learned to watch for opportunities to be creative in the midst of what seems mundane and boring. Many years ago, my job included hours and hours of photocopying each week. I'd stand in front of that machine, turning out page after page after page. How tedious, how wearisome, so far away from any sense of creativity and fun. But I found a way to let joy overshadow the day. As that old machine cranked out reams of paper copies, I'd sing to myself. I was amazed at how much that helped me with the work. Those seven dwarfs in that old fairytale, Snow White, figured out the secret of making the time fly by whistling while they worked.

Author of Living A Beautiful Life Alexandra Stoddard once shared how she made it a lovely ritual to bring fresh flowers every Monday morning for her desk at the office. It brought a certain charm and gentility to her corner of the world. So I decided to bring fresh flowers to my office too. Sometimes I'd go to my favourite florist over lunch hour and bring back bunches of posies, leaving them on the desks of my coworkers. I was ever mindful they also had their own hours of photocopying to tend -- it made all our lives more beautiful.

Sometimes it's easy to get in a slump, especially if things are a bit dull around us. But that's the challenge, isn't it? Always looking for ways to enliven and enrich the most tedious tasks... always looking for ways to stamp our sense of beauty into the dull surfaces of our days.

I'm hoping that you'll be inspired to look for ways you can sing and dance even if you're heading off to the office for another day in the 'swamp'.

Joyfully yours,

Brenda

xox

Spritely Spring Green

There's nothing like the sprightly spring greens to cheer any dark corner. We took these photos on a nature walk a couple of weeks ago. All manner of wild blossoms were poking fragile heads from under wintry debris that day. Here are a few:

And in green underwood and cover

Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

~ Algernon Charles Swinburne

* * *

Here's wishing you a pleasant weeks,

Brenda

Grateful For These Five Things

Quick... without thinking, list five things you are grateful for today...

1. I don't have to work in an assembly line factory. Today I thank those who do.

2. I don't have to live where I need to hunt for cow paddies before I can cook breakfast. How did I come up with this one? We went bird-watching yesterday and happened upon a field of cattle grazing in a meadow. Well, you know what you find then, right?

3. I can make memories with loved ones today because we're celebrating several birthdays. Plus, with celebrations, come birthday cake and delicious meals to savour and enjoy.

4. For library books to read and browse through. Aren't libraries great?

5. For sunshine after the beautiful rain yesterday and that it wasn't snow because it snowed elsewhere around these parts yesterday.

What do you find yourself grateful for today?

Hugs,

Brenda

xox

Nature's Comfort

As the beauty of the season deepens with each passing day, I'm gaining a new appreciation of the important role Nature plays in bringing comfort and joy to our sometimes fretful nerves and heart.

Have you ever found that during those times when you've grown weary with well-doing, or become anxious over a troubled relationship, or when you're reeling from news that hit you totally out of the blue, there's nothing like going for a walk in nature or experiencing the beauty and tranquility of your garden. Somehow it restores peace to your anxious thoughts.

This Spring I've been watching a pair of tree swallows set up housekeeping in one of our nest boxes. As I sat on the deck one day watching their comings and goings, I noticed a soft, comforting peace settle on my shoulders like a cozy quilt.

I had been struggling with some areas that threatened my peace and joy, and those little tree swallows were God's gift to me that day. For as I listen to their lilting songs and watched their seeming delight in finding a suitable home in my garden, my spirits lifted. The joy and serenity replaces that fretful moment and order is restored. I am comforted.

Perhaps that's why I like this Ralph Emerson Waldo quote:

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting -- a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

I wish you grace and peace today. May your troubled thoughts fly away on wings of peace. May rest abide in your hearts all the day long.

Hugs,
Brenda
xox

Small Courtesies: Leaving Comments

Further to yesterday's post about small courtesies, I thought about another delightful courtesy in our community -- to leave comments on blogs when you go visiting. I am always delighted to come to my site and find that someone left a comment however large or small. Since I started blogging last year and started leaving comments, I've 'met' so many wonderful people. The purpose of blogging, from my perspective, is to connect with other people. It's hard to make a connection if I don't know you've come to visit. Whether or not you found something to your liking, or even if you don't plan on being a regular, it's still really nice to know you stopped by.

So please don't feel shy about leaving a comment if you've never done it before. You don't know what to say? Just a 'hello, I was here' works for me. If you are a blogger and you leave your comment, it gives me an opportunity to link back to your site and see what you are up to. If you're not a blogger and you leave a comment, it gives me an opportunity to respond to you on my own site, which you can then come by and see at your convenience. 

By the way, if you still decide not to leave your 'calling card' when you pay a visit, no worries. We are still glad you stopped by and we send our happy wishes for a great day.

Brenda

🎕