Hello, creative minded friends!
     It's a beautiful, bright morning in Idaho.  Being from Southern California - North San Diego County, to be exact - I am used to palm trees, constant blue sky, and sea breezes - and a LOT of people!  But oh, how I've come to love Idaho's cauliflower clouds that decorate the expansive sky.  Because of the slower pace, job market, job opportunities, and more conservative outlook, my area is rapidly growing.  I'm not too enthused about that, because the amount of traffic has increased quite a bit in the time I've been here, as has the amount of in-a-hurry drivers.  (I figure they're all imports from big cities!  LOL)  Yet, if you happen to be needing to pull out into traffic from a side street or shopping area, for instance, drivers within the flow of traffic will ALWAYS let you in!  What a delicious reality!  You hardly ever hear someone honking at another driver, which was the norm in SoCal.  But Californians, I noticed, were warm and friendly, just as are Idahoans.  In many coastal cities, there was a delightfully slower pace, in spite of the amount of traffic and shortage of parking.  The weather is almost always perfect.
     So, fast pace, or slow pace...clouds or no clouds, traffic or not so much traffic, mild weather or snow storms...if we have an inner attitude of gratitude, if we set our own pace in spite of that around us, if we choose to see the good in where we live, if we choose to notice the warmth of strangers around us...we can find contentment.  We can make a difference in our corner of the world.  If someone honks at me, or hurries past me on the road, perhaps going over the speed limit, I have learned to think, "been there"..".maybe there's an emergency in their life".  "Maybe they're just having a bad day, like I've certainly had on occasion."  My challenge is to not react negatively, because if I do, someone else sees that and may react negatively, creating a chain reaction of not-so-good-ness.  My actions and reactions can affect someone else's day and I want them to do that in a positive way, thus making a positive difference.
     I also strive to make a difference with my artwork.  I aim to put "good stuff", "happy stuff" out there in my world, to encourage you, inspire you, and enable you to, in turn, impact those with whom you rub elbows - in a positive way.
     I hope this little bit of stuff has blessed you.  You certainly do bless me by reading my ponderings.  Have a beautiful day, won't you?  Oh, and go out and look at the sky today....and give it a big smile!