There�s beauty all around us if we decide to see it. Yesterday was one of those days when I got to experience so much of the diversity of Southern California. I had an audit about 100 miles from my home, so I had to get up at 5 AM to be on the road by 6. This is not a challenge these days as I haven�t been sleeping well and generally have been waking up at about 4:30. As I departed from my house in the dark, I was treated to a glimpse of a beautiful sunrise in my rear view mirror. The striations of color, pink and orange, were beautiful and uplifting with the hills and mountains of Southern California forming a silhouette against the sky. As I neared downtown Los Angeles, I was treated to a smattering of sparkling towers as the pink of the sky reflected in the mirrored high-rises.
Upon reaching the valley, I stopped at a Starbucks to pee and get some coffee. As I was returning to the freeway, I was overcome with benevolence and remained back in my lane to allow room for a car to exit from a driveway (I�m not often prone to traffic benevolence) and was treated to a look of surprised ecstasy on the driver�s face. This is in reaction to the lack of goodwill among SoCal drivers, and the indifference of drivers when receiving goodwill. It was nice to see such joy on his face when he saw he didn�t have to wait for 50 cars to pass in order to enter the street. And his joy and gratitude was reward enough.
When I reached my audit, I looked out from the parking lot onto the rolling hills. They were green and covered with scrub. Behind them was a blue sky filled with gray clouds. I stood for a few minutes before entering the building and just marveled at nature. The audit went well and the claims manager at that site is wonderful to work with. She even had a little gift for me, a christmas pin. I appreciated her thoughtfulness.
Returning home, I drove back through the suburban sprawl of �The Valley�, back through downtown LA, and back to my little enclave in Orange County. Later that evening, I went back out, driving south this time, to southern Orange County for my book club meeting. I again passed through rolling hills. After the meeting, I returned home and was treated to a beautiful sight. As I was driving through the hills on a fairly isolated (i.e. toll road), I could look out onto the black mountains and beyond that to the lights of Orange County. With the Christmas lights, the lights of the city glimmered like a jewelry box. The sky was a deep blue with a few milky stripes from some lingering clouds.
At the end of the day, I was given the best gift of all, my first good night�s sleep in weeks. I was giddy when I woke up and realized I had slept through the night. It was like waking up Christmas morning, the excitement that I felt. In my head, I kept saying to myself, I slept all night. I woke up to my alarm and not 2 hours before it. It was fantastic.
I have a myriad of emotions pummeling me constantly. I think that is one reason that I slept so well last night. I had spent the 24 hours prior to it crying almost constantly (during those moments when I didn�t have to be out in public) and I was exhausted. But I did manage to find some beauty in my day yesterday, a few slivers here and there, and I knew I needed to capture them, if for no other reason, to remind myself there are joys in living.
