Recently, I went for a walk in the evening to clear my head. I emerged from my thoughts long enough to look up and notice the illumination of the clouds in the eastern sky. I snapped this photo with my cell phone:
I walked a hilly cul-de-sac and upon heading east again, I looked up, anxious to see how the sunset light show had changed. I thought maybe I would be blessed with an even more beautiful display. I was surprised to find this:
In the span of seven minutes, the glow had disappeared. The beautiful display obviously intended to be brief, and only for those who paused long enough to take notice. Of course, this got me thinking (and dashed all hopes of clearing my head, haha.)
It made me wonder how many moments like this in life I miss because I’m wrapped up in the unimportant stuff that I allow to consume me… those worries that seem so large. The funny thing is, these thoughts that occupy my mind are often things that no amount of obsessing over will resolve because the variables are completely out of my control. I’m finally starting to learn that maybe, just maybe, being outside my head is a happier place 🙂
Sometimes taking notice of things around me takes a more humorous turn. I’ve told the kids countless times not to leave their cups on the table. Aaaand, their cups are always left on the table. One day, within forty minutes of each other, I took the following photos:
That day, my younger son got home from school and refilled his water cup. After he took a drink, I showed him the photos thinking maybe he would see why he shouldn’t leave his cup on the table. He did turn a little green so I got all smug, thinking my point had been made and the table would now be cup-free.
Nope. Cups are still left on the table; the only difference is, they each use 5 cups a day instead of 1. Oh, and they always leave fresh water in them for the cats- “because it’s cute.” (Um, no it’s not…)
Sigh. I didn’t see that one coming.
JannaTWrites 
Beautiful post, Janna! Love this! And your photos are fantastic 🙂
Thanks, Nurse Kelly! I appreciate you reading it.
You’re welcome! 🙂
Janna – you’re so right about those moments. Sometimes they’re stark enough to light up the sky, but I fear that more often they’re stark enough to light up our life, but don’t have that heavenly glow. So easy to miss if we’re not open to it. I wonder what I might have missed today already.
Of course, we’ll never know exactly what we miss, but at least if we think about it from time to time, we can grasp little moments before they slip away. Thanks for reading, Eli! I’ll be by to check out your blog and the 6 word challenge this weekend 🙂
The sky goes from spectacular to normal in minutes. Love the kitty photos.
I say you can never have enough kitty photos 🙂 It is amazing how fast the sky changes, Timothy. Glad you stopped by!
Kids! You were lucky to capture that brilliant moment in the sky. It was if you were meant to see it! ♥
It is kind of like the sky was a message for me to look outside myself. It literally made me stop in my tracks! Thanks for reading, Kathy 🙂
This is beyond stunning! 🙂
Thanks – I appreciate you stopping by, Seyi!
What a lovely post, Janna. The first pic is stunning. And the cat pics are so familiar! My cat is marmalade Tabby/Siamese. Lately, I’ve been trying to let go of the things beyond my control too. In my case, this is related to submissions and rejections, haha. 🙂
Cats seem to have a mind of their own (and a mind for ‘if you don’t want me to do it, that’s exactly what I’ll do!’) It is difficult to not take submission rejections personally. I just got a rejection a couple weeks ago and I hadn’t submitted anything since November. I kind of figured the nine months of silence meant ‘no way’ but they had to kick me while I was down and put it in writing 🙂 Keep your chin up and keep going, Anita!
Thanks so much for sharing, Janna! I will keep my chin up and I hope you will too. 🙂 Having writers friends certainly helps!
Yes, we know exactly what it feels like to submit without getting the response we wanted. Hope you have a good week, Anita!
Do we ever, ha ha! Thanks, Janna. I hope you have a great week too! 🙂
Haha! Tigger is the same . . . his water tastes better if I dribble some of mine into his bowl.
Here’s to moments that take our breath away!
Cats! Those breathtaking moments are what make the ‘blah’ stuff bearable 🙂
Ha.. we thought we could teach people.. but in reality there is always another solution…
There’s always another way… it’s just being creative enough to find it 🙂
You could always wake them up in the morning with their leftover cat spittle water they left out. I did find the cup issue a bit funny but I think you need a few more pictures of what cats do and then drink from their cups. The cloud pictures are nice and you do a great job at capturing the images that are usually unique. Kind of like, how do you catch a unique rabbit? Unique up on it. I’m glad that you are able to let some things go and start seeing what is out there for you.
That wake up is tempting on same days (funny, on school days I can’t drag them out of bed but on the weekends, they are awake and ready to go at 6 am. hmmm….) I’ve got work to do on letting things go, but I do try 🙂 Thanks for reading, Sean!
You didn’t see that coming? Of course you didn’t . You’re just a girl! And until you can really think like a boy, don’t even try. 🙂
Oh god, as the mother of 2 sons, I couldn’t agree with you more!
Don’t forget hubby either. He’s just an overgrown boy, too, I bet. At least at times.
… and you know it too 🙂
Well, I don’t want to think like a boy, Emilio! (It’s quite disturbing, hahaha)
It IS quite disturbing.
I love the pictures you’ve added to this post and you make such a great point. When we slow down a bit and take notice of the world around us, there is a lot of interesting stuff going on – beauty is everywhere if we chose to look and when we’re lucky, we’ll find a few laughs in the process 🙂
I tend to be focused on details, so I think I miss a lot of what’s out there, Joanne. This sunset was a pretty reminder of that.
Janna, I can assure you that Domer, too, would’ve found it “cute” if Dallas drank from his cup! Must be a “boy-thing”!! As for drinking after the dog, um, no, that wouldn’t cross his mind. Great photos, great analogy. I suppose we’re all guilty of missing the pretty little things for focusing on the big ugly ones. Glad you were able to capture some of the beauty around you!
Haha, maybe it is a boy thing, Debbie! I did have to laugh when one day, my older son took a drink and ran over to the sink to spit it out. He said it tasted like cat litter. I asked him how he knew the taste, and then said, “oh, the cats dip their paws in your cups that sit on the table.” I prefer to use cups with lids 🙂
It really is true. Sitting around in the closed room inside your own head isn’t always beneficial. It gets stuffy in there sometimes. There’s beauty all around us every moment. Sometimes it’s a sunset and sometimes it’s a cat drinking “forbidden water. ” I love getting out in nature and just “noticing things.” It could be anything. A spider web loaded with dew or a heart-shaped cactus. I often find it fulfilling. Great pics and great thoughts, Janna. I enjoyed it all.
It does get stuffy inside our heads. Nature is wonderful at reminding us that beauty is everywhere… we just have to be open to seeing it. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, EagleAye!
I left a cup on my night stand. Never thought about it until the day I found my cat with her head in cup drinking. I wondered how many drinks we shared. I got a glass style with a lid on it which you pull up to drink out of. I found her licking it. I gave up and just get up if I need a drink. I don’t want to share water with my cat.
Haha, I don’t blame you, Tessa – I don’t like to share water, either. That’s funny your cat was so determined to drink from your cup. I have had cats most of my life and I’ve learned that they always win 🙂
I wonder how many great moments we miss in our busy life. It’s good to stop and stare occasionally.
I wonder how many moments we miss in our busy lives. Yes, it’s good to just stop and stare occasionally. Don’t have a cat so don’t have the water drinking problem and as I live on my own I don’t have the cup problem either. Lucky??
I’m sure we miss a lot because we can only focus on so much. As long as we are aware enough to take in our world regularly, I think we’re good. Thanks for stopping by, Judith. I think about you often and hope you are working through the grieving process.
Those photos look like paintings, Janna. I love this post (and it’s wonderful to get outside and take in those moments the universe gives you) 😀
Thanks, Dianne! Sometimes the universe has to smack me upside the head with “wow” moments (like the sunset) to get me to notice, otherwise I’m oblivious 🙂
Never underestimate the ability of kids to out-think you! 🙂 Love it, and I’m certain the cats do too.
Magnificent sunset picture.
Oh, my kids are quite adept at finding “loopholes” and getting out of stuff. It is an exercise in creativity to make it a challenge for them, haha. Thanks so much for stopping by, Widdershins!
It’s tough to stay ahead of kids! One can never quite be sure what turn a suggestion might take.
So true… if there’s a way to twist what I said into something I didn’t mean, they will do it!
Oh, and that is a beautifully lit cloud! Yes, the sky changes rapidly.
Yes, God did a fabulous job with that cloud lighting 🙂
love those moments!! Yes we must look up! And your cup story is so delightfully cat.
I adore cats, so I don’t really mind… but I do not leave my cup unattended 😉
😀
What a great learning: to distinguish what we can change from what we cannot. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for reading, Allen. We certainly can’t change what we don’t see.
A walk outside to say good bye to the sun each day somehow settles things down. Reminds you to breath and be.
Now that’s a cat for you. Purple is a good color choice for them (giggles)
Yes, they are like royalty (or so they seem to think!) Sunsets are a beautiful way to contemplate what transpired that day. Thanks for stopping by, Phil!
Oh can I relate to this situation more than you know! Briallant plan, not the outcome either of us were hoping for! I took a walk today at lunch and notice the leaves turning and then smiled and said hello to a stranger walking by at the same time. NEVER. HAPPENS. Had me smiling all day!
Great post!
That had me smiling – I’m often so wrapped up in thoughts, I don’t greet strangers… maybe I should. I bet the smile lifted their spirits as well. Thanks for stopping by and sharing this, Kismaslife 🙂
How clever children can be! 🙂
True 🙂