I was walking my little buddy earlier this week and he decided to pull me along a different route. Occasionally, he sits down wherever we are to people watch or stare at the squirrels and/or birds. I’m used to him doing this. And for a tiny, 5lb dog, he’s remarkably strong about not wanting to move until he’s good and ready, 😂. I can tug on the leash and say, “let’s go!” And he will simply dig in and not react. 😂
Anyway, we were in the midst of one of these moments and I happened to look down at the grass. It took me a second to understand what I was seeing there – it was a piece of fabric covered in sequins! What a fortuitous moment to pause!
I could hardly make it out, it had been walked/rained on that week and slightly buried by the various animals that go through the park on a daily basis. But there it was, glinting slightly in the sunlight. I was overcome with wanting to get a picture of it. Of course, that was when my buddy decided he was ready to leave the park. But I did get the picture.
[*Unfortunately, I’m unable to share pictures on WordPress, so I’ll give my WordPress readers a link to the picture on my Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wa8osPAnf/?igsh=MWIxemZ3Mzl6bDdxNw==%5D.
It’s funny, it looked exactly like a costume we’d received many years ago, back at the school. A dance wear company heard about our program and decided to gift us with three huge boxes of costumes they had leftover from discontinued lines. It was a tremendous gift. Some of it we immediately donated since it was for much younger kids than the ones we worked with. Some was used in the show we had that season. And some I was able to take apart and recycle into other looks. It was fun to go through those giant boxes. Such an enormous treasure!
It was in one of those boxes that I came upon a costume comprised of three separate pieces. As a whole look, it was too small for our kids. But taken apart, it made fabulous accessories – a scarf, a belt, even faux jewelry.
But it was similar to that piece of fabric. A champagne colored mesh with matching sequins. So sparkly and beautiful. I had a moment, staring down at the fabric in the park, when I wondered if it came from our old costume cabinet at the school. Then I laughed at myself for even thinking it.
But then my mind went in another direction. How often are we able to find the beautiful in life? The shiny, sparkly bits among the dirt? Life gets ugly and painful and there isn’t a person alive who doesn’t experience that. On weeks when our rock backpacks get super heavy, we can’t always see the good around us – if there even is good to be seen.
And yet, sometimes, the good finds us. When we least expect it, ✨there it is✨. I think I was meant to look down at that moment. The universe gave me that gift.
I found that happening a few times this week. Once, with the fabric. A couple of other times, with unexpected sightings of beautiful flowers. I was so taken by them that I had to get pictures. (WordPress readers, they’re going to be with the earlier link). I even had two separate sightings of cardinals! They were too fast for me to get pics of.
Those moments made me smile. I couldn’t help myself! I actually felt myself get emotionally lighter. These things surprised me. When I was lucky enough to be a witness, I let them in as the gifts that they were. My joy level was high.
Some days, it’s easy to do that. Some, not so much.
Even I am not always open to those happy, sparkly bits of life. Sometimes I’ll see something amazing, but can’t gather the energy to react like I did this week. I’ll try to file them away for later. Too often, with my memory being the way it is, I’ll forgot about them. Occasionally, I’ll write a word or phrase down, in the hope that they’ll trigger the memory for me. But, maybe they’re just meant to be snippets of joy at that time – not a full-sized candy bar of a moment like the sequined fabric, flowers, and birds were. And I’m okay with that.
But, when you can, let those moments in. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again: the joy will give you such an endorphin boost. It changes my whole attitude, even if it’s only for a little while. Any boost is a positive boost.
Let the light in when you see it. Let the joy in when you find it. And know that I’m wishing that for all of you every day.
Here’s to the joys, big and little. Here’s to finding fabulous sequined fabric unexpectedly. And here’s to all of you.
Peace and painlessness,
Beck ❤️
#thisiswhatsicklookslike #strokesurvivor #rsd #crps #arachnoiditis #autoimmune #migraine #sacroiliacjoint #facetjoint #backpain #medicalmarijuana #carpaltunnelsyndrome #cubitaltunnelsyndrome #patientadvocacy #painintheBECK #phantosmia #dextroscoliosis #thoracickyphosis#lumbarlordosis #meralgiaparesthetica #herestohope #gratefulalways
painintheBECK 