Grandma likes putting together jigsaw puzzles. Her favorite puzzles are 1000-piece Milton Bradley Big Ben puzzles; they’re hard to find now. I studied how grandma completes each puzzle from beginning to end. First, she separates the boarder puzzle pieces and connects them together. Then, she separates the middle pieces by color. Once Grandma has the puzzle pieces separated by color and area they’re supposed to be in, she starts connecting them together. Grandma always fusses when she has a puzzle with a similar color scheme all over. She fusses about the difficulty of accurately placing the puzzle pieces in the correct area on the table. Since all of the colors look the same, it’s easy to mistakenly connect pieces that seem to fit together, but aren’t really puzzle-partners.
I love when I’m focused on a task and I get stopped in my tracks by beauty in nature. CENTENNIAL was taken when I was preparing for graduate school. I was looking for a building on campus and the bird in the picture caught my eye. I saw the beautiful scene below the bird and I just had to capture it.
When I saw this beautiful scenery, I thought of how beautiful it would be as a jigsaw puzzle. Iheard my grandma’s voice fussing about how all of the colors look the same. I imagined how difficult of a time I’d have getting the correct green pieces placed together, and how difficult it would be to connect the right cloud pieces. I knew the easiest part of a jigsaw puzzle of this picture would be the pretty purple out-of-focus bird in the top right corner.
Being mindful in nature is very beneficial for my mental wellness. Focusing on what’s in nature helps me temporarily block out life stressors and my adult and college responsibilities. In reality I was standing on a bridge but mentally, I put myself on a hammock in the middle of a jungle somewhere far away from society. I felt myself being picked up by the small bird and dipping up, down, around, and through the beautiful green forest beneath us.
So, when I saw this breathtakingly beautiful nature scenery, I was reminded of God’s magnificent artistry. I was reminded to make time to sit outside and let my imagination wonder. I was reminded to always be mindful in nature.
Life Lesson:
· Be mindful in nature.
How I Apply it to My Life:
· I make time to go outside and bond with nature.
Song:
· Chance the Rapper – Blessings (Ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Raury, BJ The Chicago Kid, & Anderson .Paak)
SLIDESHOW: Me on Centennial Campus