This is me, after a workout at the gym and a sunshiny walk with the pups this morning, sitting in one of my favorites places on earth, which lucky for me is right in my backyard, feeling extraordinarily blessed.
"What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?" asked Christopher Robin.
"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best ----" and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.
... If we add up the all the rewards in our lives, we won't have very much. But if we add up the spaces between the rewards, we'll come up with quite a bit. And if we add up the rewards and the spaces then we'll have everything -- every minutes of the time that we spend. What if we could enjoy it?
~ The Tao of Pooh, 110-11.
It seems this blog has become part of my process of cherishing both the rewards and all those times in between, my love of photography, of Colorado, of hiking, of nature, of my dogs, and on and on. It's an indulgence that is getting me somewhere. So thanks for the encouragement and occasionally coming along for the journey.
When I sat down in the swing, which has moved positions a bit since Bob mowed on Sunday, right in front of me was the waning half moon, still keeping me company along with Evan and Katy. Can you see it?
On our walk, we kept getting met by robins in the trees hopping about. This one stayed still for his picture. Can you see him?
Remember the Hidden Picture page in Highlights magazine? Can you find the moon here?
The wind is picking up. As I was walking into the gym where a lot of these blooming trees are planted, it felt like that scene from Pleasantville where they are driving up to Lover's Lane in the sunshine with Etta James' At Last playing, with all of the blossoms floating down through the air. You can see the blooms lining the curb here. When the robins hop along it looks like they are having a little robin wedding.
My constant companions waiting semi-patiently for me to take yet another shot. It helped that another dog was approaching up the trail.
This is why I can only admit semi-patience. This was a fun surprise when I downloaded the pictures this morning.
You can see some of the clouds bringing the next cool down approaching over the mountains. May be a few days before another sunshiny walk, so we were soaking it up.
Ahead of us on the trail was this pigeon couple, who kept eyeing us nervously and scooting along until they finally had enough of our company and took flight.
Even the weeds are delightful. :)
I think this may be the fullest tulip bed in the neighborhood. I am resolved to plant some in my yard this fall now.
And this is one of those moments in between the rewards that is a reward in itself.
Back to The Tao of Pooh for a second...
That doesn't mean that the goals we have don't count. They do, mostly because they cause us to go through the process, and it's the process that makes us wise, happy, or whatever. If we do things in the wrong sort of way, it makes us miserable, angry, confused, and things like that. That goal has to be right for us, and it has to be beneficial, in order to ensure a beneficial process. But aside from that, it's really the process that's important. Enjoyment of the process is the secret that erases the myths of the Great Reward and Saving Time.
What would we call that moment before we begin to eat the honey? Some would call it anticipation, but we think it's more than that. We would call it awareness. It's when we become happy and realize it, if only for an instant. By Enjoying the Process, we can stretch that awareness out so that it's no longer only a moment, but covers the whole thing. Then we can have a lot of fun. Just like Pooh.
And then he thought that being with Christopher Robin was a very good thing to do, and having Piglet near was a very friendly thing to have; and so, when he had thought it all out, he said, "What I like best in the whole world is Me and Piglet going to see You, and You saying, 'What about a little something?' and Me saying, 'Well, I shouldn't mind a little something, should you, Piglet,' and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing.
May you find your own hummy sort of day today, and listen a little while to the wind and the birds.
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