I passed the quarter way mark yesterday on my 100-day challenge. And I must say that I’m loving it. It’s got my creative juices flowing. As I go through my day, some part of me sits over there in the corner watching for the perfect thing to send out to the universe today.
If you missed it, the challenge I set for myself was to post something here on Notes from the Woods every day for 100 days. I envisioned it as a series of love notes that I would tuck in an imaginary bottle to release into the thought-stream of the internet, letting it land wherever destiny would take it. I could send anything, share anything, as long as I sent it with love.
On Friday, the second day after a big snow, the sun appeared and lured me outside. I ended up at a local park, a big field actually, some of which serves as ball fields for the area’s kids. I posted photos of the snow under blue skies. And yesterday I posted a photos of a big boulder I discovered at the edge of the park’s still undeveloped field. That inspired me to share photos of rocks I have in various corners of my home.
And that led to a friend sending me a note telling me how the pictures brought back wonderful memories of summer days when she and her sister and mom would sit at the edge of the Saginaw Bay collecting the prettiest rocks they could find and dropping them in a bag to take home.
Another viewer said the pictures I’d posted of birds surprised him. He hadn’t realized the doves stayed in the area all winter long. He told me how he loved the soulful cooing of mourning doves and how he would listen for them on spring mornings when he worked in his fields.
I liked how the photos stirred happy memories for my friends. I like how they preserve memories for me, too. The ones of frost on the windows reminded me of rides in the school bus on cold winter mornings when I was a little kid and how I loved the designs and way the colors of the sunrise painted them.
If you find that you’re bored on these house-bound winter days, dig out some old photos of your own. Find those old albums and boxes you have of photos from years ago that you have tucked in a closet or drawer somewhere. See what stories they’re keeping for you.
Or if that’s not your cup of tea, try dreaming up a 100-day challenge of your own. What do you think you might love doing every day for the next hundred days? Resurrect an old hobby, or adopt a new one. See where it takes you, what skills you can polish, what new things you might discover or learn.
Meanwhile, drop by my blog. See what love note is waiting there for you. Maybe it holds a cherished memory or two.
Warmly,
Susan