Right.There.In.Front.Of.You

This picture I took on one of my long car rides home from work. When I was manifesting my ideal home earlier this year, I neglected to also list the fact I wanted the house to be close to work. So my 20 minute drive home in traffic turned into 45 minutes to 1 hour. I was getting home frustrated and tense, and it took me a while to wind down and start enjoying my limited time with my son and the love of my life, John, before dinner and bedtime. But my house is perfect, and its exactly what I wanted, so I decided to accept my long drive and make the most of it.

I looked up one day and saw this amazing picture in front of me. "That's really pretty," I thought. And at that moment I realized I had my camera in my purse. So I got it out and snapped the photo. (I was parked on the highway, mind you, so if you are worried about my safety, thank you...but I was fine.) There was this awesome snapshot of beauty right in front of me. In the middle of rush hour traffic. I wonder what else was around me I never stopped to notice?

Snapping this, and many other photos over the course of a few weeks started to wake my senses up to other possibilities. I've been cruising through time never really lingering long enough to see what beauty and joy reside right. in. front. of. me. There has been so many things. So many wonderful, beautiful gifts. My car ride home became a joyful exploration. I started to see it as 45 minutes to find as many glorious images as I could find. Pretty soon 45 minutes wasn't that long at all. And I came home refreshed. After working all day. I was happy as I pulled into the driveway. I had a smile on my face walking through the door. I could enjoy every moment with my family before we started the day all over again.

Snapping pictures of beautiful things may be one of my ways of choosing to find my joy. But what's really incredible is that you have the ability to do the same thing. You have the same joy right in front of you. It may not be clouds or trees with sunshine. But it's there. It's waiting patiently for you to slow down and notice. Perhaps its your child sleeping peacefully. Or your cat curled up on the sofa with no regards to what ever else is going on. Maybe its your friends or family, your tv or your phone. We seek our joy in different ways. Choose to seek yours out. It's really that simple.

And, if you have a camera nearby...maybe even snap a photo.

Much love and light.....

Jess