The whole world is green

I celebrate St. Patrick's Day last Thursday as any good slightly Irish American would do: I wore green. And I noticed green. On St. Patrick's Day every year I suddenly notice green all around me. Hey, I think, the milk bottle cap is dressed up for the day! So is that traffic light! And even the grass is getting in the spirit! The same thing happens to me on Valentine's Day. Look, I suddenly notice, my toothbrush is pink! How perfect!

Of course the milk bottle cap is always green, and my toothbrush is always pink. But every year I'm struck by the way I suddenly notice those colors, how the world seems magically filled with just the color I want to see that day.

It makes me wonder about what else I'm missing on regular days...not just the green bottle caps, but the awe-inspiring sunsets or the particularly loving way a parent looks at a child. The world, I know, is full of these tiny, beautiful moments. On days when I especially remember to look, I actually see them.

Maybe the thing to work toward is not just remembering to look, but reminding myself that they're still there even on the days when I don't see them. That the bottle cap is always green and the toothbrush is always pink, just waiting for me to notice their colors.

Caught in the act

Typical morning commute: the line of traffic ahead of me slowed down to fit into the little construction lane, bound by orange cones, and then suddenly stopped. Impatient, drivers craned their necks to see around the car in front of them. The culprit was clear--a stopped taxi, with its rear door actually opening but no one coming out. One car, impatient to get going, started inching out of the lane, past the orange cones, ready to flout the construction workers and make his own way. A construction worker came running across the lane, motioning the car to wait, and ran toward the taxi. Finally, he would tell this darn taxi driver not to stop there! Instead, the construction worker walked around to the open door of the cab and reached in. Slowly, he helped out an elderly woman with a cane, getting her onto the sidewalk and headed toward her house. One imagined he had done it before.

The horns stopped honking, the impatient car pulled back in line. None of us minded waiting a little longer. The construction worker waved his thanks, and the lost minute seemed pretty well worth it.

Human beings, caught in the act of treating each other with grace and dignity. Have you caught anyone recently?