"I wanna go home!"

  First off...do you ever talk to inanimate objects?  I do.  If you do, would you mind telling me if you get any replies?  Again, I do.  Maybe not so much in words or sounds but in feelings, I guess.  To me, if you really get to know an object...especially one that has been through some trauma...an odd sort of aura emanates from it and that aura speaks volumes.  At least, it "speaks" to me.  Yeah, there are those who claim that I am weird or eccentric and those are the kinder folks.  Ask others and you will get some more "elaborate" descriptions.  But, back to "talking" objects...

  About a year and a half ago, my dear friend had a most devastating event happen to her.  While she and a friend sat talking, lightning struck her house causing a huge fire.  They both managed to escape unharmed but her house was a total loss.  Only a few items were salvageable with one being a clock.  The poor clock did not go unscathed as the finish crackled and the clockworks itself was full of soot.  So...what better place to bring a clock for the duration than to the home of that weird friend who kinda/sorta fixes antique clocks.  I immediately cleaned and oiled the clock.  The outer case could not be remedied much without devaluing the worth so I simply used denatured alcohol to even some of the finish.  Now...the test...I gently swung the pendulum and the gorgeous clock started ticking!  It worked!  After all it had been through, the clock still ran smoothly! The clock has been here since.

  Several times, I moved the gorgeous clock to a different spot in my living room from my work table.  I figured it deserved a better spot.  Perhaps the buffet!  There it would be showcased as the beauty it is.  Nope, the clock immediately stopped working.  Well, perhaps on the coffee table!  That lasted just about ten minutes and no more.  Well, maybe the bookshelf!  The clock was not having it.  Nary a tick could be heard.  Out of desperation, I set it back on the center of the work table.  Tick, tick, tick...the clock did not miss a beat. So...I asked it why?  Why will you not work anywhere but this work table?  You deserve better, my friend.  Then, in soft silence other than the steady ticks came the answer.  "I wanna go home."  My heart broke.  The clock had let me know that the work table felt the closest to going back home where it belongs.  It needed to go back to the loving care of my beautiful friend.  All of the other locations, though comfortable, were not home.  The clock felt like those moves were permanent.  It needs to go home.

  So...the clock will go home...back to where it belongs.  Slowly I glided my hand across the sloping back of clock as I whispered..."Soon...soon, you will be back where you belong.  I promise...I promise."  Sometimes, objects murmur, but this time the clock spoke loud and clear.  

It is all in how you look at things

  I was out and about a bit late this evening when I noticed how the August heat was taking its toll on all living things.  Birds and squirrels are flocking to the birdbath, rabbits are hanging close to the shade trees and, speaking of trees, the trees are suffering.  Instead of the pretty reds, yellows and oranges of fall, this year we are going to be graced with brown.  Brown and crunchy will be the theme of treeland this year.  Unless, we get a bit of early cooling, things are not likely to change.  The trees seem sad which, in turn, makes me sad.  The Black Gum trees are laced with dead or dying leaves...brown and crunchy.

  Then again, it is all in how one looks at things.  While brown leaves may not be quite as attractive as the brightly-hued ones, the trees are still just as lovely...given the right light.  As the sun started to set in the west, it cast a golden glow on the eastern sky.  It was not the fiery red of some nights but more of a soft aura.  The same tree that I was inspecting earlier, once again, caught my attention.  Now, instead of being brown and sad-looking, the tree was in its glory!  Backlit by the golden sky, a silhouette stood out in perfect beauty.

  Sometimes in life, things or people are a lot like that tree.  We often cannot see the glorious sight of what is before us because the crustiness of wear and tear are hiding it.  It is times like this that we need to change our perspective.  With all of its ups and downs, life is good.  Look for beauty in all things.