Morning Walk ... Uh, Carry ...

How Zeke and I roll on morning walks when he ...

is not feeling inspired (no human brother & sister, birds, cats, or dogs contained within fences to chase), is feeling stubborn (completely normal), and/or is spooked (by scary Halloween lawn ornaments, other dogs/humans in his path, newspapers wrapped in plastic, or large RVs parked curbside).

I guess we should just call it a morning 'carry'. Silly pup. :-)

Sidewalk Chalk Graffiti ... Take 2!

I just had to do one more post highlighting my son's sidewalk chalk graffiti. I love the words and phrases he draws (and, hey ... he took one of my suggestions from my last post! :-)). Sometimes, it's just him ... other times, there are several kids in our driveway creating entertaining images and uplifting words.

The best part is the feedback we hear ... from neighbors we know ("It made my day to walk to the mailbox and see these words!") and exercisers who just happen to be passing by ("We look forward to seeing what word is written on your driveway when we come by each night!").

His artwork continues to be a great reminder to me of how easy it is to share some hope, a little love, and a smile.

Love ...

My son was busy expressing his creativity this weekend ... sidewalk 'graffiti', he called it. He and his younger sister picked all the words ... I had nothing to do with it. I just watched, as words that so perfectly represented the history-making weekend we were in the midst of seemed to appear, one after the other, on the scorching pavement. 

Love ... Peace ... Bold ... Laugh ... Hope ... Joy. All the things we wish for every single soul. If everyone abided by these simple, straightforward words ... I suspect more problems would be solved than created.

I think he did ask me for a word, at one point … but, I liked the direction he was heading, and decided not to add my two cents. I’ve been thinking, though … about words I might suggest, if he asked again. Kindness … Respect … Smile ... and maybe even Forgive.

What word would you add?

Good Things Await ...

Waiting. I don't think I'll ever be very good at it. For me, it is one of the hardest parts of the writing profession. Not just waiting for any response ... waiting for a positive response! So, once again, I'm turning to the outdoors for a little lesson in enjoying and appreciating the wait. Granted, my garden provides a much more colorful and gratifying perspective on waiting than my e-mail in-box. Daily, there are beautiful berries needing to be monitored for ripeness; blossoms foreshadowing the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers to come; and new blooms opening on the hydrangeas. It's easy to see that good things await ... and I'm certain that will be the case for the writing as well.