altered expectations

around 6:00 this evening i set out for a long walk around the neighborhood thinking it would be fun to capture the first signs of spring. i saw tress budding out, crocus in bloom and a few purple finches singing their joyous refrains from the tip tops of trees. but the images that totally captured my creative eye were the dead remains from last fall. in the above photo tall willowy grasses stand sentinel against a fading afternoon sun.



i was amazed at the number of old bird nests i saw high up in trees. do the same birds come back year after year to roost here? is there a territorial battle among pairs of birds to claim these vintage homesteads?



just as many of us are wanting to shed the extra pounds we accumulated during our winter hibernation, these birch trees are shedding the extra bark that protected them from the frigid arctic air. i could almost hear them sighing a soft whisper of delight -- "that spring sunshine feels wonderful"!!


winter-weathered seed pods and flowers have a special beauty all their own. they glow in the sunset and rustle their goodbyes to a gorgeous day.



this bird nest in the very small tree in our front yard is only 4 feet off the ground. it's a surprisingly large nest and i'm going to watch closely for any nest-building activity.

i find that life is a lot like today's walk. we awake in the morning with expectations of a certain kind of day. we expect things of our mates and our children. and, most of all, we have certain expectations of ourselves to be a certain way or become our heart's desire. but often, if we can put the expectations aside and relax into living life for what it is, there is beauty to be found and surprises to be experienced. it's in the relaxing and the ability to see beyond the disappointment that we truly relish life.

tomorrow i'll post a few of the budding spring photos i took today. until then, peace, hope, love and joy to all.