Finding beauty in unexpected places
FOLLOWING on from my recent plan to only pay attention to those things I have some kind of control over. To leave the big stuff to someone else on a higher pay grade. I have spent the last week trying to avoid the news. It’s not easy. At times I have been reduced to covering my ears, closing my eyes and humming to myself for two or three minutes at a time. When that doesn’t work, I hit the mute button. Sticking to home-grown sounds. Anything to avoid the big bad world out there right now. It’s not a perfect recipe for life, obviously. Hardly a longterm solution to future foolishness. But it seems to be working fine at the moment. So I’m sticking with it until something better floats into view.
While not listening to the news, I have had plenty of energy to look around for other things that are small enough and simple enough for my modest brain to get to grips
with. Things to pass the time without stress or strain. First idea on the list was to spend more time playing with the dogs and their assorted doggy toys. Trouble is, they don’t play nice. They’re beastly. Which is hardly a surprise, given that they are, for want of a better word, beasts. Sort of. Cute, fluffy, four-legged and friendly, of course. But still, you know, beasties at heart.
Which is why, whenever I throw a doggy toy for the little pooches to fetch, they refuse to bring it back. Like I said above, they’re beastly. Don’t want to make life easy for yours truly. On the odd occasion when I do actually manage to grab hold of one end of a toy, to try to wrestle it from them, they cheat. The little blighters. They use their super-strong beastie teeth and wily doggy brains to outsmart me. Sigh.
Anyhow, since playing with the dogs didn’t work out as hoped, I moved on to the next, news replacing, idea on the list: taking them out for walks. Hardly a new thing, I know. But still. If we went out for even more walks than usual, we would be far too busy to listen to the news. Which worked out well for a while. Problem is, the pooches have not really got their heads round how a pecking order works. Not sure they got the memo. The one explaining who’s in charge.
Mabel the mini schnauzer in particular seems to believe she is in charge of route-planning, pacesetting and decision-making. Leads to regular stand-offs. Though we always resolve them peacefully. Usually after a slightly pathetic scene involving tears and tantrums, as I try to negotiate with her. Note to self, don’t negotiate with Mabel. It’s a complete waste of time. She isn’t moved by my tears. Or tantrums.
However, silver linings and all that. The other evening, the dogs and I were out and about having a lovely old time, as usual. Well, actually, that’s not entirely true. The dogs were having a lovely old time. I was mainly getting bored. Waiting for them to finish sniffing round tree trunks and grassy patches. Something they can happily spend hours doing, given half a chance. All I have to do is stand by, quietly holding their leads, trying not to disturb their concentration as they try to work out the perfect spot to water the daisies. Or whatever the polite expression is for dogs having a pee.
However, on this particular occasion, as I waited patiently for Mabel to decide we could move on, I happened to look up at the tree overhead. Glad I did. It was, for want of a better word, magical. Kept me spellbound for a while. After a while, I worked out what was going on. A rain shower had just passed over before we set out for our walk. So the tree was a glistening, glittering umbrella of trapped raindrops, twinkling and clinging on for dear life. Reflecting the glow from a street lamp in a thousand tiny sparkles.
They had fallen on the new buds, the ones just bursting into life on bare branches, but not made that final leap to ground. Meantime, those raindrops gave me good reason to stand open-minded with delight. To be reminded that heartstopping beauty can be found in all sorts of unexpected places.
At this point, Mabel decided it was time to move. So the moment faded and life went back to being normal.
Hopefully, the rest of the world will follow suit sometime soon.
Hope you and yours are safe, well and happy.
Until next time, all the best