When I left this morning for coffee, it was 35 degrees with overcast skies. I was gifted with a beautiful sunrise on the eastern horizon for the entire ride. As I stepped out the door of my condo I immediately noticed the quiet all around me. There was no traffic hum in the distance that many accept as normal and never notice. It was again an awareness of how much noise pollution our vehicles make. It also reminded me of when we first went into covid shutdown and the quiet that descended upon us for several weeks. On my bicycle ride home from coffee it had warmed up to 41 degrees but still overcast and cold. I stopped to observe a majestic bald eagle and held eye contact with them for several minutes along Spring Creek Trail. We just watched one another, no spoken words were necessary. What a gift that we shared.

The above image was taken last night when I went to Old Town to get some photographs of their Christmas lights and to watch people. It is a 14 second exposure so most of the people are blurred out. But, I want to share a special gift I received while watching a family of five. It looked to be mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, and a young girl who was in the spirit of the season and singing Jingle Bells, over and over. Everyone within hearing distance was her captivated audience! I don’t believe any person around me did not have a smile on their face as she sang. And, I wonder how many joined in, even silently. I did! And what’s interesting to me is that she may be offering this gift of song freely with no expectations of receiving in return. If only our world was focused on giving rather than receiving. Today I will cook up a chicken thigh with petite potatoes and baby carrots in my new Ninja Crispi air fryer. May you have a wonderful day, enjoy family time if possible and hopefully consume some chocolate today or at least think about it.