Have you ever noticed that some of your best thinking is done in the shower? My theory is that it is one of the few times in the day when you are truly alone, with no distractions. No tv, computer, phone, children, dog, cat, bird, fish…
So I was in the shower after my letterboxing excursion with Penrapture and RayK today, wondering what I was going to write about the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area again. It’s not that the woods and trees and water aren’t inspiring to me but today it just seemed like the same old story.
But then I remembered that the fun part of our adventure was talking to RayK about…anything and nothing. RayK is going into the fifth grade this year. I don’t know how old that makes her, but she is not yet old enough that she thinks she knows EVERYTHING. So I was babbling about this and that, bears and bridges and how to sneak up on birds. She seemed reasonably entertained.
So what does this have to do with thinking in the shower? Well, it occurred to me that I should sign up for the Big Sister program. I had considered it before but the thought of getting stuck with a girlie girl scares the hell out of me. I’m sure they make an effort to match you up with someone compatible, but still…what if?
As far as volunteering goes, the chance to make another persons life better has to be on the top of the list. It’s wonderful to maintain boundaries and sew blankets for shelter animals but in the grand scheme of life, helping someone to become a better person will serve us all in the future. Just imagine what the world would be like if we all took just a few hours a week to help someone. Perhaps it is easier to imagine how much better your town would be if everyone in it spent just a little bit of time doing something for someone else.
Anyway, following is my adventure with RayK and Penrapture.
So I was in the shower after my letterboxing excursion with Penrapture and RayK today, wondering what I was going to write about the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area again. It’s not that the woods and trees and water aren’t inspiring to me but today it just seemed like the same old story.
But then I remembered that the fun part of our adventure was talking to RayK about…anything and nothing. RayK is going into the fifth grade this year. I don’t know how old that makes her, but she is not yet old enough that she thinks she knows EVERYTHING. So I was babbling about this and that, bears and bridges and how to sneak up on birds. She seemed reasonably entertained.
So what does this have to do with thinking in the shower? Well, it occurred to me that I should sign up for the Big Sister program. I had considered it before but the thought of getting stuck with a girlie girl scares the hell out of me. I’m sure they make an effort to match you up with someone compatible, but still…what if?
As far as volunteering goes, the chance to make another persons life better has to be on the top of the list. It’s wonderful to maintain boundaries and sew blankets for shelter animals but in the grand scheme of life, helping someone to become a better person will serve us all in the future. Just imagine what the world would be like if we all took just a few hours a week to help someone. Perhaps it is easier to imagine how much better your town would be if everyone in it spent just a little bit of time doing something for someone else.
Anyway, following is my adventure with RayK and Penrapture.
We went to Amethyst Brook Conservation Area to get some letterboxes. When you first walk in from the parking area there is a community garden. When I was here in May they were still working the soil and planting the plants. As you can see things have grown considerably since then.
We found the first letterbox fairly easy but there were things like dirt and the possibility of spiders on it so I had to dig it out for RayK. Yes, she is a bit of a girlie girl.
I wandered off to take pictures of rocks in the brook while they proceeded to stamp in.
We found the Labyrinth next. Penrapture and RayK walked the spiral on the way in but Penrapture cheated on the way out. I don’t think she knew that a tree angel was watching over the Labyrinth and taking notes.
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On our way out RayK noticed some rustling going on in the sunflowers. We stopped to look and discovered a couple of American Goldfinches enjoying the sunflower seeds. They are in the picture below (click on the picture to enlarge) but hard to spot amongst the yellow (hint) of the sunflowers.
If you can't find them in the above photo here is a closer shot of them.
It was a nice afternoon stroll with RayK and Penrapture. For a girlie girl she’s not really so scary.
Today I've been feeling kind of alone. It was really nice to read this and be reminded of our adventure together. It's also nice to hear someone else say that in the long run helping other people is good for all of us. Thanks.
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