Last October when life gave me the idea for my 48-48-48 Kindness Project, I got to meet a wonderful woman, Laura Shovan, who requested an act of kindness for her daughter. I was happy to oblige.
And then — surprise!— I received a "backatcha" act of kindness from Laura: she sent me a hand-knitted bookmark along with a copy of her prize-winning poetry book, "Mountain, Log, Salt, and Stone."
Love that circle of giving!
Recently Laura contacted me to let me know that she was inspired by my birthday project and is doing a kinda-similar one for her own upcoming birthday, a postcard project. Now only did I love hearing about her project, but it was a reminder to me that I had earmarked one of her poems to share with all of you. And, gulp, I'd forgotten to do so.
So now, without further ado, and to keep the kindnesses circling, I want to share with you this poem of Laura's that really speaks to what it means to notice the everyday, ordinary beauty of our lives. Because, the secret is, when we frame a single ordinary moment, it becomes simply extraordinary. Sometimes in the rush of life we forget to look in the most obvious places for the beauty of our lives. Laura says it exquisitely:
Because We Were Rushing to Catch the Bus
we did not notice the rain.
Too late for umbrellas,
we ran down the sidewalk,
wishing we'd taken the car.
Because we ran
under rain soaked trees,
the children's heads were damp
when I kissed them at the corner.
Because the children were gone,
I walked home alone.
Dishes in the sink
waiting.
Because of the dishes
I bent my head
before the kitchen window.
A petal fell from my hair —
a pink thumbprint against metal,
pink against the gray day,
pink against the absence of children.
It shook me awake.
Because we were rushing to catch the bus
I carried beauty, unknowing.
—Laura Shovan
Poetry copyright Laura Shovan; To purchase her book from Amazon, click here.
Image copyright © Can Stock Photo Inc. / liveslow