MAKE A STICK BOUQUET

My heart hurts. Colorado is burning. 

Being surrounded by wildfires, and the sky filled with thick smoke makes these already-post-covid-tortured lungs unhappy. Not only my lungs. My heart! 

I am an avid lover of the outdoors and taking beautiful photographs of this majestic creation. I long for the dirt roads and broken down cabins and miles of silence and long walks with my grandchildren.

My work is much confined to indoors right now. Or brief moments outdoors. Being outside is so much a part of me that I've lost motivation to do inside work well. I am having to discover another kind of joy that long left me....

I LOVE people. I had forgotten the pure joy I have when working in homes with families and seeing them grow and expand and do family things.

This new way of living over the past eight months is reviving the roots of where I started.

I'm not happy being stuck inside, so I try to make sure to bring the outdoors IN.

This results in art projects, which my grandkids have become quite accustomed to. In fact, they were asking before we even unpacked for their weekend at Grandma's house, not IF, but WHEN we were going to start an art project. That resulted in our "stick bouquet." 

©CherieElainePhotography2020

Things are just so stinkin' difficult right now. It takes great imagination to stir up joy. It's in there, but somehow as adults, we forget to tap into it. 

A short walk, with energetic, creative little minds, (masks required), made picking up ordinary things close to home an adventure. These are a few things it did:

1. Created beautiful memories with my grandchildren.
2. A lovely art piece now decorates my already eclectic bohemian home. 
3. A chance for me to see as a child - with wonder and possibility. 
4. A moment to forget that I had to wear a mask.
5. Looking at the ground for something that will be happy instead of looking up at the things that make me sad. 

I know we always say "look up" or "chin up." But maybe, just once in awhile, its looking down at the path instead of the tunnel ahead that brings the most joy. 

Happy day, readers. May you find colors on the path before you that makes your day memorable. 

So much love. C.