The story started out like this. 

I was out in my yard cleaning up after the fall harvest of apricots years ago. 

There were as many of the small orange fruit smooshed onto the grass and the dirt as there were in my bucket. 

What had changed from taking it one day at a time?

How was that possible? This was something that I’d done for years as a child without a thought so what had changed from taking it one day at a time to now? 

There was no more taking it moment by moment or not worrying about the next day.

It felt like I had been out in the morning sun for hours and then I looked up. 

Suddenly, I realized that what had been a seemingly quick job had become a never-ending chore.

Those easy days were gone as I began to think about the change. 

Deep thoughts began to twist as the path before me played out in my mind. 

Perhaps this chore of cleaning up hundreds of smashed pieces of fruit was what small children did to help. 

More twisted tales began to form in my mind. 

‘Is that what I’m now here for, to clean up at the end of a season?’ 

‘If that’s what I’m here for then what else will I only be ok for.’

‘Ok is not ok with me so y’all better get ready for what is coming.’

The beginnings of a spiral instead of taking a breath.

My friends. Do you see the beginnings of a spiral that was taking place instead of taking a breath? 

This is only the beginning of what came to me the day of the fateful encounter with an apricot tree. 

Let’s continue as I reflect on that time. 

The apricots began to smoosh and smash their way into the bag until I found myself tossing them as I remembered things that others had said to me. 

Over the years, people had said some peculiar and some unkind things, so as I tossed, these things were recited from memory. 

First, came the things said about our son. 

You know, he doesn’t belong here. 

Of course, he can’t do that so why do you try? 

Then, came the blatant words said about me in life. 

Do you know you’ll never be a grandma? 

You’ll never know what it’s like. Why are you here? 

How did you survive what happened to you? 

I forgot to take life one day at a time.

With each memory, I forgot how to take life one day at a time. 

Did these people know what they were saying at the time? My heart broke again and again. 

Instead, I began to feel hot tears on my cheeks and blurred my vision. 

As if the salt was cleansing me and giving me something new to pay attention to. It was then that the fruit came back to me. 

Tossing the warm wet fruit became something more as I grew to feel the power in the statements that had been said. 

Had been said, as those words were not said for long in our world. 

They did sting as they hit me the first time, so it was time to let them go. 

I could feel it in the moment. 

So, I let them go with an underhanded pitch into the bag as I stood up. 

To let it out and say to my mind that I was done with those thoughts and memories. 

They were not going to hold onto me for one more day.

They were not going to hold onto me for one more day. 

As I pummeled the side of the bag with a pile of apricots, I began to remember other things. 

Yes, with tears streaming down my face and with more energy being gathered from my toes to my fingertips. 

This time I remembered the boy who became more than we could imagine. 

The boy who stood up every time he wobbled and truly took life one day at a time. 

Until that last day when he decided that he would look up at us, with a big smile, and tell us what he would remember. 

That life was also about including a year of play. 

Joy, love, life. 

Power, being a child, going forward. 

I can now look at what remains of that apricot tree and pause with a smile because of what I do one day at a time. 

Even now, during the time of the harvest. 

Summer is in full swing. The seasons have made their transition, and it is time to look around you. 

I’ve done this and I’m bound and determined to create beauty for the soul in spaces around me. 

It can be done in many ways this time of year where I am. 

Did you take a long gander? What do you see?

Here is where we can start.

Beauty could be a new vase you put on a table, or a bright new padded bench cover you place on a patio chair outside the door. 

There are also times when you create beauty by planting it for others to see as they pass by. 

Beauty for the soul can be like this bush of white roses.

That sort of beauty for the soul can be like this bush of white roses with many perspectives to be seen. 

From this angle there are layers of petals in full bloom and others waiting to come out of a bud soon. 

The jagged edge of a leaf balances the scene and what can be seen in the current view. 

Is there more to know here? It’s time for me to stay in curiosity mode as the thoughts meander along. 

Yes. There can be beauty if it is desired. 

It also brings the saying from Confucius to me: 

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Let’s see what else comes when beauty is thought about like this in a few areas. 

We can do this by going back to the white rose.

We can do this by going back to the white rose. Alongside the jagged leaf are thorns and older branches. 

When I saw these as the rose was growing, I thought to avoid each piece until I took a closer look. 

Did you know that the older branches have served the rose to help it grow to what it has become now? 

The thorns were what kept some of the critters away from the tender bud and petals. 

Each one that I had not understood before were each able to now bring beauty to my soul as I saw them in a new light. 

Go to what you had in mind earlier. 

Do others think of it as something beautiful? This could be the vase, the patio cushion or something that you’ve planted in your space. 

Think about beauty in a new way.

Now think about beauty in a new way. 

Can beauty come in the people around us? 

What if that is another way to think about beauty that others may not see. 

I’ve met many people who bring with them the beauty of life. 

It’s as if their soul comes ready for adding to life.

When I was younger, I knew someone who was kind, generous, calm and joyful. They were open to learning about everything that life brought to them and always had a smile to greet you with. 

They were beautiful and I remember watching them from across the room as they touched my heart with their beautiful goodness. 

This person did add to life with their beauty.

It turns out they were a friend that helped me reach for the sky from that day forward. As if their influence was a way for me to pull back into my memories and also move along to who I could become. 

It was years later, when I saw them again at their end of life. They had come to a joyful peace with how life had brought them full moments with their family and friends. 

How did this friend of mine know how to bring beauty for the soul?

How had this friend of mine know how to bring beauty for the soul to me for decades? 

Did they strive for, or had it grown in them as easily as a petal opens from a bud into a full bloom. 

My heart seems to tell me that they were beautiful in their soul throughout their life. 

It may not have been understood and yet it is one way I look to go with for my life now along with the rose and the vase. 

Perhaps the thing that I’ve learned the most about beauty for the soul is that it can come with anything you choose. 

That is what I learned with this white rose and my friend. 

Take the piece that you need from the beauty around you. It’s there for your soul.

There are several phrases that come back to me this time of year. 

It could mean that I have strong ties to the holidays, or perhaps I am remembering the times that certain people were with me. 

I also wonder if the phrases are an indicator of who I’ve been over the years. 

The phrase that is sticking with me like glue is about getting a year end gift ready for someone.

Gifts are wonderful to receive, as well, and yet thinking about what to get for others is where the fun can start at all times. 

There is something about creating a list and checking it twice when the end of year comes. 

Think about this next.

Who to add to the list? What would they grin or clap about when they open the paper? 

Then there is paper or a bag to think about! Delivery and presentation are part of the giving, too! 

I have given big presents that take an entire roll of wrapping paper to cover. 

No peeking!

Paper that was handmade for the person.

Paper that was handmade for the person right in front of you like the sheets you see here.

Finger paint, colored pencils, crayons and markers were all used to create for each person with smiles.

There were other times when a small nugget of fun was tucked into the end of stocking to find during the morning fun. 

What about the time when a stack of gifts was found and ripped into by long fingers? Meticulous care was taken with each small rip of paper. 

Rolls of laughter came along for joy and a thousand years of memories. 

When I was younger it was also about what to wear when going to a party when others were gathered. 

Make a year end gift to help others.

Then there is when we make a year end gift to help others we don’t know. It could be like what ValleyConnect has asked recently to continue doing the work they do for those in our community. 

Their network for good helped me pivot and consider another view. This is not new and yet gives this outlook. 

Let’s go into that next as it may not have to do with what we wear. 

It could be gathering what we have with what others may be able give in a way that does good for a group. 

Think about a time when this has been in your space. 

I have done this in my past and it makes a difference to those who are receiving a bit of goodness. 

For goodness’ sake we can do what is talked about in a beautiful way in the view. 

A year end gift can include time.

A year end gift can include time or a donation. Looking beyond the shiny paper, we buy and into the creating for what could help others sparkle. 

Reuniting to find

joy of chatting, and then

sharing of dreams, or 

creating calm in a space. 

What if that is the gift we give to others, to a group we begin to know and to yourself? 

Maybe we will need to get a bigger box to hold all of what is coming to us next. 

Take a look at what a year end gift could become for you. 

I bought a new pair of boots recently that have me dancing again. 

The two steps have been my way of going along and I needed to get into a new rhythm. 

It seemed like it was time to get back into the high life, so I looked for a way to do that. 

Dancing and music are how it happened, and this is the perfect time for it to come together. 

You see, there is a loved holiday coming that includes what you see here. 

First, you will see a couple of pieces of candy and then a pair of fun googly eyes. 

How does that bring back the high life?

How does that bring back the high life for me? 

Let’s begin with the song that is going to be with us from Steve Winwood. 

Back in the high life again is where I have gone with my new boots. 

There are times when I remember splashing along as these things came into view. 

Let’s take a look at the candy. 

You’ll see that there is one that says thanks

There is a story that goes with that one piece. It goes like this. 

Our son loved to give our handfuls of candy when he would answer the door each year when he was a teenager. 

As he answered the door with a broad smile and laugh, he would toss in the treats for each little one who came by. 

He would then follow it up with a thank you very much as he waited for the next knock on the door to come. 

There is one more piece to this tiny bar. 

This exact type of candy was the only one he ate in his life! 

Imagine eating only one piece of chocolate in your time. 

Is one coming to your mind? 

I remembered about being back in the high life.

Here are some things I remembered about being back in the high life this time for me. 

A sweet smile came along with the lip-smacking goodness for Dallin. 

He discovered that soft chews and nuggets could be tasty. 

Grand moments with two bites were suddenly one of the memories that I would keep for many years to come. 

Now that core joy comes to me each time I see this shiny package. 

My hope is that you have a memory with your imagined chocolate. 

Now, let’s go to the orange googly eyes. 

These small toys have come to me with my boots as I danced in another part of my high life. 

Finding joy along every dance has brought a way to look at life.

Finding joy along every dance has often brought a way to look at life with new eyes. 

Adding a bit of focus with fun and color is how I kept the rhythm going. 

Here is one more piece that I now know. 

There have been times when my steps have come with sweet moments and sharp focus. 

Other moments have come when I stepped to the side as someone else strolled into my high life to show that there was another way to move. 

Perhaps it was when we grooved in the golden years. 

Yes, it came with the one candy bar and small toys bringing smiles.

It is also learning new things with sweet memories. 

Think about what was in your high time of life. 

Let’s bring one thing back from that realm to us again, my friends. 

Doing it together may be how we stroll into our new space. 

There are times when I think that words need to be said. 

Other times when it is time to watch, learn and be still. 

This is a time to do a bit of both. 

Be here with me while we do a bit of this together.

A blue cup full of life is going to be the beginning and middle of where things began. 

Take a look here as I share the first steps. 

This was brought back to me a few weeks ago after I went through every closet and container.

I rediscovered the cup and placed it in the box of give-away items for a yard sale. 

That’s all I thought there was to it until the set-up day came. 

Little did I know that when I was placing this blue cup onto the table to be sold that my heart would come into play. 

The cup full of life was back with memories.

The cup full of life was back with memories of what used to be inside. 

Here is where I pause to take a breath and give you two more bits of information. 

These cups were everywhere many years ago, my friends! 

Did you have a few in your cupboard for all the important goodies? 

Small amounts of round cereal, pieces of fruit, or even tiny squares of crackers. 

I remember this blue cup of life holding all three.

I remember this blue cup of life holding all three of these and more. 

Snacks for on the go means that life is being lived. Treats for toddlers can be many things! 

We were on the go with trips to the park with a blanket for relaxing after going down the slide. 

Life was starting and held beautiful moments for a set of tiny hands as this cup came into play. 

The tiny hands that came with our son found joy at the park, on a merry go round and watching fireworks for the first time. 

This blue cup came along with every adventure.

Let’s go back to the cup being placed in the give-away items.

As I pulled it out of the box to be marked with a price, my heart and mind remembered all of the times it had come with me and those little hands. 

It felt okay to move forward and let someone else use the cup. 

I looked back, picked up the cup full of life and returned it.

Then I looked back at it again, picked up the cup full of life and returned it to my car. 

Did you take a breath with me as the surprising moment of grief flowed freely for a moment? 

I’ll tell you that a small smile had also settled on my soul and face at the exact same time as my breath settled in 

A few people were watching me as this happened. 

My smile and quick reply to let them know that the cup was going to stick around my realm was all that was needed. 

They smiled back with a knowing nod.

Here is what I know now. 

The little blue cup was a part of life with a little boy.

I realized that when the little blue cup was a part of life with a little boy in our world, it meant that adventure, laughter and being on the go was part of our every day. 

Having a full life and what it means has changed over the years.

Being able to bring calm to the soul comes in many forms. A small blue cup did it for me that day. 

There is more and yet here is where I pause to go back to that day we started with.

I learned a few more things as I completed the day at the yard sale.

It does not have to be a cup to represent a full life.

It does not have to be a cup to represent a full life.  

As I watched what others that day were looking to add to their life, I found that they were drawn to books, decorations and toys. 

Perhaps these things were also ways to help them look at how to live with smiles and be on the go. 

Connections were made, hellos were said, and the day was then completed.

I now look at the cup full of life and smile.

Let’s live life fully, my friends, in every realm we have before us. 

More reading: 

#45 Summer Mode of Wonder

It is about the time of year when the first plans many of us think about are being reviewed.

Perhaps it is to read daily, plan that big trip, go see the new play or get tickets to that one concert. 

Did you start on your list, or have they flown out the window with the spring birds? 

If the spring birds have caught hold of the things on your first to-do list with a light tune, then here we stand.

What are we left with now? 

M’hm. 

It’s now that to-do list, like the one in my hand. 

Jay Shetty gives 4 steps to look at that list.

When I saw this, I was able to pause and then go back in time. 

Memories that include three things, two that can be seen and one that can’t. 

As I look around my spaces today, I see these things right in front of my eyes. 

It seems that I need to have them here, even now. 

There are these two bright candle holders that I placed on a high shelf more than a decade ago. 

They both came from another shelf, and it feels right to have them around. 

One of the points on that to-do list.

This leads me to one of the points on that to-do list.

Make a list of things that make you happy.

Can you see the black and white checkerboard pattern with the white candle? 

Patterns like this give me a smile every time I look up, my friends. 

The yellow splashes here, there and everywhere bring me joy and have continued to keep these on my list of things that make me happy. 

It must be why they have been around for almost 20 years. 

As I think about the next thing on that to-do list now it helps me think about the next tall item in this picture. 

Look behind the colorful holders and you will find a sail. 

Can you imagine what this means to me? 

Let’s go back to those years when the candle holders came to the shelf, and I’ll share a bit more. 

That to-do list is beautifully matched.

The second item here and on that to-do list is beautifully matched as they are to look at what you do every day. 

The tall sail that you see in this picture is a daily reminder to do what comes next. 

I do this by asking a question with my best friend.

What are we going to do next?

We did this naturally for 22 years and now we are on a quest to continue. 

A quest that will keep us on our toes, leaning in with curiosity and love. 

That is what we try to do every day. 

What do you do every day? 

It may have already popped into your head like the spring birds that chirp at sunrise.

Final points on that to-do list.

Keep your memories coming as we finish up with the final points on that to-do list. 

They have become the final points that clarify my new way of daily two stepping. 

Are you ready? My heart is skipping with what this can mean to both of us.

Compare these two lists and then adjust accordingly. 

Adjusting to get to what makes us happy is the reminder that I am choosing to stay with as the birds chirp and chatter.

Now, remember that there is a third thing that I mentioned that can’t be seen. 

It is being aware of what I see when I look up to see the bright colors with a sail behind it all. 

Here is what I have come to know with this awareness. 

I get to pay attention and trust that each of these steps bring even more things next.

Is that possible alongside the candle holders and that tall sail?

I am willing to stay with it and see what comes next.

This new to-do list is what may bring me to a two-step with you.

What joy may come with that! 

Let’s find out together. 

Look around you for what may be with you.