Appreciate the Moment

Our home, dressed in its fall finery

There's a lesson in this time of year: 

Appreciate the moment. It could be gone as quickly as the autumn leaves. 

Without an early hard freeze, autumn's vibrant colors painted the landscape far longer than usual on the Kansas plains. While we don't have "leaf peepers" arrive by the busload in Kansas, they could have gotten a show to rival eastern landscapes this year. 

I intended to stop and take photos - even though what I see on the camera lens never quite matches the beauty seen by the naked eye.

But, as usual, I had my "to-do" agenda in place and cattle duties to help navigate - places to be - things to do. So I didn't stop as often as I should have. 

The tree outside my kitchen window provided lots of good scenery while cleaning up after meals. But even a tree right outside my window didn't get as much attention as it should have. It wasn't that the tree wasn't ready for its closeup. It was me. And now the tree is bare.

However, I did take a few photos of our house clad in its fall finery. The vines don't often retain the fall colors for so long.

 

The tree near the south driveway provided a "window frame" for the house. But the "frame" is no more. It only lasted a snippet of time.

Every moment in your life is unique. You will never have two alike. Never. This is the science of living: Appreciate every moment. Have a heart so open, an understanding so beautiful, and a yearning for appreciation so complete that when that moment comes, you see exactly what it is.

Prem Rawat

Sunrises and sunsets are those fleeting moments in time, too. But I was glad I ventured out one morning this week to begin the day.

At sunrise, the blue sky paints herself with gold colors and joyfully dances to the music of a morning breeze.

― Debasish Mridha

My sunrise tree

I had written the rough draft of this post earlier in the week, and I decided to listen to my own advice ... at least partially. I had an afternoon meeting in Stafford, and I noticed the fall colors on the prairie grasses and the autumn leaves framing the Zenith elevator. I drove on by. But before I got to the railroad tracks, I backed up and snapped a few photos of the scene.

I had just driven past "Exhibit A" in my reminder to pause to appreciate the beauty. A massive old cottonwood along the Zenith Road was resplendent in yellow last week. But I didn't stop at the time. Places to go, timetables to meet ... all the usual excuses. 

The old cottonwood has played a starring role in my blog before. It shades the irises that grow along the Zenith Road at an old farmstead nobody even remembers any longer. 

And then we had a hard freeze and the colors faded like fabric left out in the sunshine. 

Later, I was glad I'd taken the time to put the car - and my schedule - in reverse. It was dark by the time I was driving home, thanks to the time change. 

Enjoy every moment you have. Because in life, there are no rewinds, only flashbacks. Make sure it’s all worth it. – Anonymous © Source: https://www.quotespedia.org/authors/a/anonymous/enjoy-every-moment-you-have-because-in-life-there-are-no-rewinds-only-flashbacks-make-sure-its-all-worth-it-anonymous/

Enjoy every moment you have. In life, there are no rewinds, only flashbacks. Make sure it's all worth it. 

Anonymous

Enjoy every moment you have. Because in life, there are no rewinds, only flashbacks. Make sure it’s all worth it. – Anonymous © Source: https://www.quotespedia.org/authors/a/anonymous/enjoy-every-moment-you-have-because-in-life-there-are-no-rewinds-only-flashbacks-make-sure-its-all-worth-it-anonymous/