Busy Under the Surface

These geese look so peaceful, skimming along the top of the water...we don't see their we feet furiously paddling below the surface.

I always try to keep that in mind before I start envying another person's amazingly beautiful house or intricately designed and executed garden or even a seemingly effortless and comfortable life...

I see only the glossy surface...

I don't see her hard work underneath...

I don't see her difficult choices, her struggles, her heartbreaks, her victories...

only the surface shows...

The member of the blogging community that I tend to admire are the women who do share a bit of the "wee paddling feet" ... the women who do understand that media can place unrealistic expectations upon us, and that we can and should be more realistic about what is possible in Real Life.

So I type here, in my not very stylish or beautiful but very comfortable and serviceable kitchen...and I focus on the real choices I have - on the very real blessings in my life, and on the very real beauty in my life:

the beauty of golden early morning sun glancing across a rack of clean plates...

the beauty of thriving green plants in brightly colored pots...

the beauty of a row of mason jars filled with dried beans and baking supplies...

the beauty of Real Life!