Repetition can get boring. I walk on the same sidewalk every day down the same road with my dog. We often see the same people and the same dogs. We pass the same houses and the same plants.
But things are inevitably different. The weather changes. One day it might be hot and sunny, the next day is windy and cool. Some days there are piles of snow on the ground.
Even within a season there are major changes. The plants grow higher, one day they are budding and the next day they are in full bloom. I see different things- one day it might be a family of turkeys in the field, another a deer off in the distance.
Within the repetition of this daily walk I can see enormous variation if I look closely.
I think about Monet’s paintings of the haystacks. Here are just a few of the myriad of variations that he painted.
There are many more, and they are astoundingly beautiful. I do not look at them and think, ‘Wow, I wish he had only painted one, that would have sufficed.’
I think ‘I am so enamored of the fact that he looked so carefully at this scene and captured all of those different seasons and moods.’
What about you?
Are there things that you do on a daily basis that you could pay more attention to?
Perhaps bringing more attention to this would bring more appreciation and joy to your day.
My challenge to you is to choose something that you can do with intention for the next 30 days. This could be a creative pursuit, like Monet’s paintings of the haystacks. Maybe there is a series you have thought about creating. Maybe it is simply bringing more attention to your surroundings in your daily walk.
Maybe take a few days to think about it. Start July 1. Then see where it takes you.
Happy summer!
Courtney