Dogs are like small children. You love them to pieces but they can get into so many things and test your patience. They are inquisitive and just want to explore the world around them. They eat things they shouldn’t  and are quite often a bit sneaky about it. When you take them overnight you have to take food, and toys, and bowls, and treats….all the comforts of home. They normally know when they’ve done something wrong and have a very guilty look.

But then there’s the other side. The unconditional love they have. The cuddles they give. The adoring, “you’re my hero” looks. The sense of calm and peace you feel as they sit on your lap at the end of a long day. They remind you to focus on the present and not always worry about the future. Tomorrow will come and with it will come new challenges, new questions, and new explorations.

I love the scene of this willowy sky. The stark, bold contrast of brown and gray against the brightest blue sky. The sharp, angular twigs highlighted by airy, fluffy white willow buds.

This is like being a child again. A time when nature towered over your head. When things seemed larger than life. A time when everything seemed so simple and you felt free to wander and play. It was a time of discovery. Maybe there’s a way to get back to that time. Just take a walk and look around.

This picture seems like it captures such a simple, everyday kind of object. And, to some certain extent, that’s true. This is a thermostat. A device used to control the temperature. But look again because it’s so much more than that.

This particular thermostat is in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is over 100 years old, having been completed in 1909. The thermostat was made by the Minneapolis Heat Regulator company, before it merged with Honeywell. This thermostat was one of the last ones to not have a clock incorporated into the design.

But beyond the history of this thermostat is the item itself. The all metal case and screws, glass tube, and red mercury are a stark contrast to the plastic, LED lit, Wi-Fi connected, phone controlled thermostats of today. The cut-out metal work on the sides is a nod to the era in which it was made. And the patina. Metal, worn and aged, by 100 years of hands. Hands  that built the house. Hands that lived in the house. Hands that rebuilt the house. And hands that preserve the house. And how many have walked right by such a simple object, not giving it a second thought? But that simple object holds a decade of stories, both known and secret.

Awww, it’s a puppy! There’s nothing quite like their sweet, furry faces to cheer us up when we’re feeling down. Their natural, inquisitive behavior is enough to keep us on our toes. They go through the phase of chewing and destroying shoes, socks, hats, stuffed animals…and pretty much anything else they can sink their teeth into. But that’s what keeps life interesting. We know they won’t stay puppies forever. Just like kids, they’ll grow up. They’ll learn and make better decisions. They’ll learn right from wrong.

There will be a day when we’ll wonder where the time has gone. And, if we’re honest, we’ll miss that adventurous, get-into-everything puppy with the sweet, furry face.

Tissue paper flowers spring from the branches of trees. They slowly dance in the breeze, against the backdrop of a periwinkle sky. The tips of their petals are tinged slightly pink, as if they’re blushing from getting caught being so free.

Here and there sunlight breaks through the shade. It illuminates creamy yellows and bright spring greens, as if a light has just been turned on in a dark room. This is the time to stop for a moment and appreciate the shade of spring.

Yes, it takes longer to make something by hand. But there is such a simple satisfaction and pride that goes along with it. And you get to make the thing exactly how you want. It’s your vision, not someone else’s. Will there be mistakes? Probably. But what in life that’s worth doing doesn’t come with a few mistakes. And those mistakes help us learn. They are useful in the end.

So embrace the mistakes and make beautiful things with great love – whatever that looks like in your life.