found while walking

I tend to look down when I am walking. I have read that not making eye contact is a sign of insecurity, but that is not why I do it. I am just always looking for things—unique leaves, rocks, feathers, patterns, color palettes happening naturally, odd everyday objects on the ground. I like to take pictures of these things; sometimes I pick them up and take them home to find just the right spot for them to live. One of my favorite moments I ever had with E was doing just this. We were on a walk, it was in the middle of the fall, and there were so many amazing leaves and pods on the ground. I kept stopping to pick them all up, creating my own little bouquet—when out of nowhere this huge wind came and literally swept every little leaf off of this one cluster. I clung tightly to it, and was so upset to be left with a measly stick, until I heard E laughing, which then of course had me laughing; and then we couldn't stop. Everyone turned to look but it didn't matter, we could NOT stop laughing. I love to remember that moment. I still have all of those little things I collected that day. In true fashion I photographed them when I got home and found a spot for them in my bookshelf.

This blog focuses on just that. In blog land it is hard to come across an original concept to focus on, so it is refreshing to stumble upon it. It is interesting to see what other people find and how it makes its way into their artwork and patterns.

I don't think people do enough of this. Observe what is around them. We seem to always have our phones in front of our faces—which I am also guilty of—but what are we missing in the meantime? Sure, there is some balance needed here, whether it is our phone or the ground we are focused on. But what if today, instead of pulling out something to occupy our attention when we have a free moment, we instead look around us and see what is actually there. Maybe we will find a pretty leaf, maybe a beautiful sky, or maybe we will share an unforgettable moment with the person standing next to us before the wind takes them away.