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So, here it is. The last day of my mini-blog where I noted what was right in front of me each day that pulled me in by it's beauty, brought me joy...

Today...

• Music I couldn't sit or stand still to at Capitola beach tonight.  Oldies but goodies. 
• Authentic affirmations and appreciation from my director.
• My friends very, very blue eyes.
• Laughing.  And sharing

 

Okay, I know this is an "awwwww" picture.  A baby flamingo! But it was right in front of me today - and I was reminded how much joy I have experienced doing an almost daily ritual for years.  I look at the Day in Pictures at San Francisco Chronicle on-line.  There are cute pictures as well as strange, fascinating, interesting, amazing, sad..and from all

 

Sun. Vastness.  Space.  Unlimited.  Ocean, hills and sky.  Steep climb. Forever views.    (Garrapata - Rocky Ridge)

Need I say

True moments of beauty or joy today...right in front of me...

• The cute blond toddler charging around the lawn at Wilder State Park on those stocky, but unsure, legs. 
• Sharing my Wilder map and directions with the older gentleman hiking - then being totally inspired when I found out he was in his 80's and doing a preview for a group hike he was

 Beauty and or joy moments, today, right in front of me...

• Getting out of town (fog) and driving on the back roads to a hiking adventure with my buddy D.  Today was to Purisima Creek Redwoods. We are so fortunate to have these open space preserves in our back yard! http://www.openspace.org/preserves/default.asp
• Savored the roasted corn-on-the-cob at Palo Alto

Today's moment of joy was pure and simple. It was a few moments, actually, when I shed all my clothes of the day and pulled on my comfy soft lounge pants and yummy comfortable light-weight shirt.  It's such an "ahhhhh" moment.  Nothing binding or left over from the day.  Another way my body feels like it's

  

 It's sleek, very fast and...well...gorgeous. A beautiful design with a bit of horsepower between those red curves.  It's my neighbors new motorcycle.  If it just had a back rest, I would be begging for a ride...

Also right in front of me today was the evening colors with the backdrop of deep grey fog...connecting, creative energy with some people at

Sweet joy came from the delicious smell of  sun-warmed pine needles today...just love that.  I took extra deep breaths, had memories of camping, soaking in the mountains.  Sweet pine

Moments of spontaneous beauty and/or joy, right in front of me today...

• Bouncing arms and legs of the grinning baby in dad's front carrier. I grinned back.
• Contributing in an emergency situation today - and such gratitude coming back...
• Slipping into the hot tub and, once again, slipping back into my skin (after being in my head all day!)
• The dry, warm smell of

Smack dab, right in front of me this evening...the aliveness of evening colors, cool salty air, constant waves, acres and acres of ocean...I stopped to breath it all in, touch the sand.  Perhaps it was the contrast of working inside all day, surrounded by the man-made and contained (no matter how beautifully designed), being purposeful and focused - that

Here are some of the beautiful and joyful things that caught my eye or pulled me in during the last three days - that were right in front of me....

• A four-legged joy...a tiny Rottweiler puppy on West Cliff Drive that I just had to stop a pet!
• Sun...glorious sun...I was ready to drive over to Los Gatos to get my solar fix, but if finally came out on Sunday. 

 Catching up here and sharing what made me spontaneously smile or grin in the last two days...

• The red & pink contrast of the bougainvillea crawling up the stucco building
• The egrets gathering for breakfast
• My new, cute ceramic espresso cup.  Makes me grin every time.  I got it and a small little espresso maker since I realized I was missing the

 

A blur of excitement, overwhelm, exhaustion and amazement as my department moves in to our beautiful new wellness facility!  An "OMG" and joy moment happened when I was in the warm water therapy pool at 6:00am (for my back!).  In fact, I was the only one in the entire pool area which is surrounded by glass.  I was looking out in the new morning blue sky

I'm back!

Well, beauty & joy were of a different kind than usual on days 10-14.  The "ahhh" moments came when I could find the place of no or least pain during excruciating back spasms.  That sweet slice of time when I could just relax, just a bit, without agony.

Beauty and joy also came in the form of friends - generous with the time, caring and

Today...right in front of me...

• I enjoyed the beauty and feel of my new ivory silk shirt.  Combined with everything else I was wearing, I felt authentic and creatively expressive - challenging to do in a business dress code environment! 
• I spontaneously stopped and appreciated one of my team today - and told her some of of the specific reasons I so

Can a smell be beautiful??  Well, one definitely brought me joy tonight.  Running by the ocean at dusk I smelled the beach campfires.  It was so wonderful I thought I might hyperventilate just trying to gulp breathe it in.  Memories from campfires past mixing with the sweet moment of now, right in front of me...wood and smoke mixed with ocean and beach. 

 

Day 6: Had to get out of the Aptos fog.  Found sun up at Wilder State Park.  My 2-hour quick evening loop had me coming down the last hill as the sun was setting.  Oh glory be.  That evening light.  Colors more intense, shadows and depth...shared it with the deer and lizards.  Now I'll share a bit of it here.

Day 7: Right in front of me today was:

• That sweet

"Resonate": to relate harmoniously : strike a chord

I experienced a spontaneous evening of resonation - of notes and harmony and fun.  Sharing and connecting with someone I don't really know...Discovering layers of who someone is through conversation, stories and laughing.  Natural, authentic and real.

And, yes.  Right in front of me.  They live right across

 I relished several beauty/joy moments today right in front of me.  A bit of variety...

- Ahhh....the absolute yumminess of skin on clean sheets.  King size sprawling joy.  However  I sprawl, I still don't touch the edges of my awesome acre of sleepdom.

- Energetic joy from creative, flowing brainstorm session with work team.  Out of the box, out of the lines

Joy and a happy surprise came in the form of serious, theraupetic and strong jets in the jacuzzi at the new wellness center today.  I've been swimming, pumping iron and sweating there since they opened three months ago.  But since I have a hot tub at home I've never been pulled to jump in the large jacuzzi.

Well, lucky for me, today I did because I needed to