Leadership, Cleaning and Butterflies

I wanted to write about Leadership but today is cleaning day. I do it in a very unorganized way these days but some cleaning and laundry still gets done. It's a busy day and even though Leadership was the topic of thought for this morning, I will wait because it is a very important topic to me and I do want to share it with you when I have time to really go at it. It is a topic that I'm sure I will be addressing often and learning about as I go along. It is a topic that I hope people will share their thoughts about with me.

This morning I created a card for my daughter's birthday. Creating cards is something I love to do. It started a long time ago because I could never find a card in the store that said just what I wanted to say. I began doing everything by hand, the lettering, the art, the prose, the folding and the envelope. As I went along I advanced to the computer. Since I was already an artist and a graphic artist and typographer, doing cards on the computer was a great find. I taught myself the programs, I use Pagemaker and had great fun creating. My cards now have a very professional look but I do not sell them, although I used to and hope to again when I'm ready.

Of course I had to be on the computer checking my e-mail, reading info and writing this blog. Little by little I will get some cleaning done. One thing that helps me is making it a quiet, contemplative day, listening to soft music and putting love into something as mundane as dusting and dishes. It really is possible to do this. It quiets my mind and allows me to think about deep things and often when I do this I am inspired to write a poem or pray for someone or something that troubles my heart or perhaps something that gives me joy like butterflies, sunshine, birds and our animals, the smile on my husbands face this morning and the lovely house plants that I need to be watering today. The picture of the butterfly is one I took myself. I thought it was so neat because I usually imagine butterflies being attracted to things of color and fragrance. Who knows what it was that drew the butterfly to the gray, dark ground; perhaps some unknown, unobserved treasure that only the butterfly could see.

I love to be organized and like to clean and shine things. It's is not an obsession for me; it is a joy. I also love to be messy, especially when I cook. In any case, it is time for me to return to my cleaning since it is Monday and the day I most prefer to clean. It really is a beautiful, joyful work I suppose - depending how one chooses to see it. Have a lovely day.