The Poetic Life

Did you notice how the clouds formed a butterfly this afternoon?  What about the pattern the shadows made on the patio in your backyard?  Did you notice that?

Poetry and/or its inspiration surround us all day, every day.  Do you notice them?  Too often in our day-to-day lives, we are “too busy” to notice these things around us.

Yesterday I decided I would slow down a bit and notice things around me today instead of just passing them by.  This morning, getting ready for work, I reminded myself of that promise.

I walked to work this morning – it’s not even a whole block from my house to the office.  I felt the gentle breeze.  I heard the birds singing in the trees.  I even saw two sparrows flying back to their nest under the eaves of my house.  I also noticed how blue the sky was, without a cloud around.

Then…..

I got to the office.  The phone was ringing as I walked in the door.  Calls from cranky customers occupied most of my morning.  So much for slowing down a bit.  But, there would be time this afternoon.  So I left for lunch.

This afternoon, again the phone was ringing as I walked in the door.  After that, phone calls were pretty scarce, but there was still a pile of paperwork to be tackled.  I admit, it was slower, but not in the way I had intended.

At 5:00 I locked the office door and headed home.  I was still determined to slow down a bit.  So I did.  I had never noticed how bad the paint was flecking off of the back of the building.  In some places, it looked like someone had intentionally chipped the paint away:  A smiling face looked at me from the back of the office building as I walked home.  I laughed.  Some kid probably did that waiting for mom or dad to get off work.  But it sure brightened my day.

I watched the birds fly back into their trees because I interrupted their foraging in my backyard.  A squirrel stopped halfway down the tree trunk and watched me pass by.

I only have two trees in my small backyard, but it is surprising to me how much wildlife they hold within their branches.

Excuse me.  I think I’ll go sit in my backyard, watching the birds and squirrels, and generally living the poetic life.

Are you doing anything to live a more poetic life?