"Would you like a Balloon?

The Trader Joe's clerk asked the toe headed curly haired 4 year old girl. "Yes, please" she replied wide-eyed with the brightest of smiles beaming with surprise and glee. "Look daddy, a baaaalloooon," she said.

I said to the clerk "wow, how great it is to see joy over such a small thing." He laughed and said "yeah, it's funny you can give a kid a balloon or even the same sticker over and over and they're thrilled." I thought to myself, "I think there is a lesson here."

I was reminded of this a few days earlier when a friend and I had laughed comparing notes about how we both were having a "one flower appreciation moment." We both sheepishly said we had been spending rather significant periods of time looking at one flower we had picked and put in a bud vase. We both marveled at how much joy just the one flower brought us.

Back to the balloons ... I went to a moving party billed "The Greatest Move on Earth" for Velocity Dance Center. Velocity and Freehold (where I work) had been long time neighbors at Oddfellow's Hall on Capitol Hill. Due to rent increases, two years ago we had to move along with most of the residents at Oddfellow's (largely arts organizations). Velocity was semi-homeless but toughing it out in the midst of a severely compromised remodeled space surrounded by dust and grime. They worked hard over the next three years to find a home for their beloved organization and this weekend were able to move into their gorgeous new space just a few blocks from their old space.

I was reminded recently by someone about the tenacity it takes to follow a road or path you feel called to go down, but that if you have the vision and clarity this is what you need to be doing then things can fall into place (even after 3 years and LOTS and LOTS of work). Walking in the parade under the sun filled blue sky from Velocity's old space with trumpets and horns blaring, balloons were everywhere ... kids and adults carrying balloons in every color, balloons on chairs, on hats ... there was a sense of loss for the past times at Oddfellows, victory for the "win" of finally getting to move into a beautiful new space and celebration for the hard work and vision finally paying off. See more pictures here:
http://www.facebook.com/album

I was thinking about how that relates to an Artist's Way path. Over the 3 year journey to find and then build out their home, the folks at Velocity I'm sure had moments where thing seemed hopeless, but they persevered. It was clear at their event that they believe in what they do, in the art they produce and the inestimable value it gives to themselves and to their larger community.

Sometimes the road feels bleak, we can lose sight of where we want to go or the belief that we could even begin to know what that could look like. Then we hear a little girl say "Daddy, look a ballllooooonn" and we are reminded of how simple it can be.

What gives us that "a baaaalloooon" feeling?
I'm going to go sit by a flower and think about that.
How about you?

Best,
Kate