One Good Thing (100th Post)

Snow falls softly in Breckenridge.

 A blanket

of white

Silence.

When I woke this morning,

 

 the sky was a feathery gray.

Waldo was smiling.

(He's very predictable.)

Before breakfast,

I looked into the back yard.

A doe walked slowly,

alert to something in the forest.

She seemed to float across the snow.

A glimpse of a wild creature,

though fleeting,

is always welcome -

 A gift to start a new day.

Back in January 2009,

shortly after starting this blog,

I wrote of  

The One Good Thing.

The message is as important to me today

as when I first heard it over 40 years ago.

I'd like to share it for my 100th post.

After graduating from college, when I was a very young woman, I  began a job as a social worker. After a few months of training, I was chosen to carry a state experimental caseload of unwed mothers. I can't imagine why they chose such an obviously inexperienced person for this caseload. I was an English major with a minor in Psychology, not to mention a newlywed with no real knowledge of sex. I also had no experience with babies and small children. Bureaucracy sometimes works in mysterious ways!

Before I began 'counseling' the unwed mothers assigned to my caseload, I was called into the elderly Director's office for a talk. Basically, Mr. H talked and I listened. He told me about the 'One Good Thing.'

What he shared helped shape the rest of my life.

Mr. H said he realized that I was very young and hadn't been exposed to some of the issues and problems I'd soon encounter. He advised me to always set my mind to find the one good thing about a situation. No matter how hopeless and discouraging a life or a problem seems, there will be one good thing. That advise to stay alert for the one good thing stuck with me. It helped me in that first job, and it continues to be a guiding principle in my life.  It is simple but effective:

 Set the mind to search for good.

I use the philosophy to help myself when I am disgruntled or fearful or uncomfortable. I search for the one good thing in the people and in the problems I encounter.  I promise you, there is always one good thing even if it's not readily apparent. If the one good thing involves another person - share!  Others are uniquely and positively affected by hearing the one good thing.

I tried to pass on the philosophy of the one good thing  to my children. Now I'm as old as the elderly Mr. H. I have grandchildren to whom I've started talking about the 'One Good Thing.'

In this 100th post, I'm sharing the philosophy of

THE ONE GOOD THING

I don't pretend to be able to solve anyone's problems
or to fully understand what some of you are experiencing.

I am only sharing a positive approach which
I hope you might find helpful:

Start every day looking for the one good thing.

Sometimes, by day's end, you realize

there were many good things.

Stay positive and keep searching.

Flip Flop Weather

Within a four day span in Colorado,

weather changes dramatically.

At the top of Vail Pass -

a snow squall.

By the time we cross the Colorado River -

clear skies.

We bike through the National Monument -

pedaling:

up steep climbs

around hairpin curves,

beside sheer cliffs.

Temperatures are in the high 70's.

Views are spectacular.

The next day, near Marble, CO,
(population 85)

fall makes a statement.

Suddenly,

the sky grays over McClure Pass.

The canoes at Beaver Lake

rest forlorn on the shore.

Temperatures drop.

Clouds gather over Bachelor's Gulch.

We find a cozy place

to rest for awhile.

The next day,

returning to Breckenridge -

more snowfall.

At home,

we wake to a white wonderland

where blue shadows pool,

ice encases ponds,

snow etches trees,

tracks converge,

and flakes accumulate.

(Enlarge)

As another day turns to dusk,

I watch a coyote pass through my yard.

In Colorado,

wherever we roam,

we might find

an unexpected adventure,

a beautiful landscape,

or a wild creature

to encounter and to enjoy.

Change

It makes no difference what the season,

weather is very changeable at high altitude.

Fall is especially volatile:

Storm clouds may bring

rain, sleet, or snow.

Ice crystals form.

Winter arrives

in October.

The landscape is muted.

A frosting of white outlines

 interesting shapes

and

 intricate compositions:

Nature's artwork.

Suddenly, skies  clear.

White peaks dazzle in the sun.

 

Snow in Summer gleams in the garden.

Vivid returns.

Plants and grasses breathe.

Snow melts on the trails.

Wiley coyote leaves traces.

Warmth regenerates.

The beaver pond ponders:

freeze or thaw?

Ski trails undress in the heat.

At alpenglow I reflect:

I think about change.

Change is inevitable -

I welcome it.

We're taking a bike trip for several days -
enjoying this time of change...

Friends

I'm thinking of Friendship today

while it's raining in Breckenridge.

and the puddles are forming hearts.

I'm remembering girlfriends'

adventures

and explorations.

I'm reminiscing about the expansive

and the particular.

I'm thinking of depths

and of curves -

calm

and turbulence.

Good friends

share their point of view.

Friends make me hopeful

that all endings contain

a promise

of bright days ahead -

I'm grateful for

Friends!