Summer Daydreaming...

Today, I was busy from the minute I stealthily slid into my seat this morning and logged in (late as usual because of Christi and the kids of course ;-). My head bounced back and forth across three monitors while peckin' the keyboard with my left hand and clickity-clickin' and draggin' the mouse with my right. I didn't stop except for an occasional sip of coffee and a Monday morning staff meeting. Work, work, work! Although, I really can't complain about what I do. It's really not so bad. But today, for some reason, it was! First of all, it's a MONDAY on a beautiful summer day!!! It would've been an excellent day for an outdoor video or photo shoot. However, I had tons of video footage, photos, graphics, animations, and music to edit and composite. I also had to art direct a couple of graphic and multimedia artists on their projects. No time to goof-off! Did I ever mention how much Monday mornings suck? They do.

Shortly after two o'clock, I finally stopped for a moment, to recline in my seat, swivel around, do a few yo-yo tricks, and glance outside my office window. That's when I was captivated by the puffy cotton rolling across the pristine, baby blue sky... like a kid staring through the window of a candy store. My attention was redirected toward the numerous branches of green leaves waiving at me like my best friend telling me to come out and play. Without any hesitation, I got up for a stroll to get some lunch. The moment I stepped out the front door of the man-made concrete and glass box, I was welcomed by an overwhelming gust of refreshing summer breeze. God's masterpiece of creation has a unique and authentic fragrance with no comparison. Little did I know what an intoxicating effect this would have on me for the rest of the day.

After buying my chicken salad sandwich and iced tea, I knew that if I ate outside on the plush green carpet field outside my building, I may not return. And so, I reluctantly dragged my feet back to my box within a box which is inside of another box filled with artificially recycled air. With each swipe of my security badge at every door, I felt like I was going deeper and deeper into the cube maze. Ugh!!!

But, before my self-induced depression totally set in, my mind began to escape. It simply would not get back into the box. By the time I sat back down at my desk, my mind was not there. It was too late. The daydreaming had already begun...

I daydreamed about how the color palette of the Blue Ridge Mountains turns with each season. It is quite spectacular to watch God's canvas slowly change from one end of the spectrum to the other. Every color combination is perfect... so perfect, that we try to emulate it within our homes, our clothes, our decor, our art. The sound of water streaming over rocks, birds chirping, and wind blowing through the leaves is a stark contrast to water running through a faucet over dishes, engines revving, horns blowing in traffic, and oscillating fans blowing an artificial breeze back and forth.

My mind ventured even further... I envisioned a log and stone home with a covered porch that wrapped completely around the house. In the back upper loft is a master bedroom with a stunning view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I imagined walking out on the master bedroom balcony, turning right and descending down the wooden stairs to a lower main deck, just outside the kitchen and dinning area with huge bay windows. I lift open a bench seat on one side of the deck near the back door, take out a fishing pole, walk out to edge of the deck/pier and gently cast my line into my private 3-5 acre lake (some would call it a pond). I then sit down in a custom built deck chair, kick back and watch the gorgeous sun rise between the two mountains dead ahead. As the sun rays reveal more of the surrounding land, I look over my right shoulder to see Christi looking through the large kitchen bay window (hold a Magnificat in one hand ;-). I turn back around to enjoy God's work of art knowing she already read my mind. A few minutes later, she walks out with two cups of coffee and sits down in her wooden chair right next to me. We talk, sip, and enjoy the rest of the morning sunrise. As each one of our kids wake up, they greet us on the deck with a big smile and a "good morning" before proceeding down the to the beach area right off of the deck. You see, on one side of lake/pond is our house and beached area right next to the deck/pier. The rest of the lake/pond is surrounded by plush green grass that leads to larger fields of thick grass and several peach, pear, cherry, and apple trees. And, a large garden.

Well, anyhow, my lunch hour was over, and I had to get back to the reality of work. Thank God for daydreams!