Enjoy What's In Front Of You

It didn’t rain today. I could see the clouds forming and then they decided to linger, but it didn’t rain. This is great for me because my days are now spent trying to figure out just how much time I’ll be able to have outside. The best addition to my morning ritual has been brewing a cup of green tea and heading to my deck to read and sip away.

Sometimes I pause with what I’m reading and take a few deep breaths as I allow the light breeze to peacefully whisk past me. Other times, I glance up at the trees and notice how they’re flowering as they start to turn to brown. Most times though I wonder why it’s taken me three years to put any furniture out on the deck and enjoy it in the way that I am now. Even in my urban setting, it’s become my retreat. If I close my eyes, for a few moments I can feel like I’m in Jamaica.

It’s taken me way too long to enjoy this.

One of my dreams is to have a house in Jamaica one day. I often envision myself sitting on the patio staring at the ocean while drinking a morning cup of Blue Mountain coffee. It never dawned on me that I could have that same feeling when I’m at home in Atlanta. Turns out that while yes I want a house in Jamaica, what I really wanted was to have more moments in nature. And a deck that sits next to train tracks brings me the same type of joy as a villa with an ocean view. 

I also now realize that I was possibly pissing off the universe a little bit. When I was looking for places to live in Atlanta, somewhere with outdoor space was on the top of my list. For years I had a deck and didn’t use it. I think I was turned off during my first summer here when bees decided that the best place for their hive was under my deck door. After that sight, I kinda gave up on it. Then it was feeling like I needed to add so much furniture to it and design it and make it cozy.

None of these things turned out to be true. A simple set from Ikea has done an amazing job. 

Every day that it doesn’t rain, I make it a point to sit outside, sometimes multiple times. All along my body and mind knew what it needed. I was just being stubborn about it having to be perfect without realizing that I could reap all of the benefits with even the simplest setup.

It’s another reminder to get out into nature every day. It’s healing properties can’t be understated. Say hello to the trees, smile at the birds, and most importantly, breathe.