A Forest of Ice-Coated Trees
For the last three days there has been a coating of ice over the trees and grasses in our little valley, and as we go for walks (in a long line, with the dogs out front, ourselves in the middle, and Rhianna the cat trailing behind), the sun sparkles through the ice and you can hardly help but gape in wonderment.
Here in Wisconsin it’s rare to have a Christmas with no snow, and folks are a bit upset about the situation. You hear the grumblings when you venture into town. We’d give them this ice, but it seems that the crystals have all melted except out here among the lonely hills.
What if I could be the richest man in the world? Even then, could I afford to arrange but one of these trees in diamonds, as the clouds and winds did a few nights back? We walk through a forest of diamonds, and our wealth is infinite.
We can go for a walk and fill our minds with worries and thoughts. No matter the beauty around us, we can miss it all for a mind brimming with concerns. We’re also perfectly capable of experiencing the mysterious beauty which always surrounds us, whether we’re walking through a quiet forest or watching a paper bag dance in the soft wind along a city street.
I’ve heard it said that ‘time is money’. With that in mind, can we afford to go for walks, or sit and watch the sun meander through the sky? For in each of these moments, we might be doing something productive. And presumably, if we do enough productive things, we’ll have time to relax and enjoy life.
I’d say that we can’t afford not to stop and notice the beauty around us! This is what life is all about, and no matter where you are right now, whether you’re in a car, or a forest glen, or a jail cell . . . if you pay attention and notice your mind activity, it will slow down, and the world will begin to clarify around you.
We’d all find the world endlessly amazing – even the smallest, most insignificant details – if we weren’t ‘off in another world’ all the time. Thinking, thinking, thinking.
There is truly no better way you can be ‘productive’ in your life, than to start paying attention to what your mind is up to.
Underneath the cloak of constant thoughts, something amazing is waiting for you. . .
Explore posts in the same categories: Nature, Quick Thoughts, Wealth