Watching for Signs

I have a great parking spot at work. It's wider than the rest of the spots, and no one ever parks on the passenger side of my truck. Most of the time, people will choose to squeeze into another spot instead of parking in mine, which makes it easier for me when I come back from lunch and find my spot still open. It bothers me not a bit to park next to the dumpster!

At the far end of the parking lot is the quietest too. During breaks, I will stand out there and listen. This past week has been a noisy one. The huge trees are landing spots for birds galore, and the bare branches will be filled until a sudden whoosh when they all take off at once.

I'm not a bird fan. I don't suppose I'm any different than anyone else who watched The Birds when they were too young to watch a movie like that. Still, I get a kick out of observing bird-brained behavior. Like, one time a huge tree was filled with black birds - and one white one with a different chirp. I've seen robins and blue and red jays, and all sorts of birds I can't identify.

For me, since I grew up in the north east, the bird song means the return of spring. It's a very welcomed sound! But, I live in the south now, and I have no idea what's 'normal' for Arkansas. So, I look for other signs to get a better sense of what is being indicated. Imagine my surprise when I returned from lunch on Friday to see these daffodils (thanks Jude!) that sprouted up, and right under my front bumper! I didn't see them when I arrived in the morning, but there they were when I came back from lunch. Things do tend to grow fast here, but that fast?

I have my eyes pealed for signs, and I'm seeing all sorts of them. Not just with the weather either. My new job is a joy. I work with a genuinely great bunch of people. They work hard and enjoy every minute of it. After a particularly busy week, we ended Friday with tears running down our faces from laughing so hard. It's so energizing.

Not all the happenings are positive. In fact, the negatives are just as intensely bad as the positives are good. It takes more negatives to balance out the huge positive of a great job, and the negatives have piled up. Heh. They haven't won though. Nope. I will not be brought down!

It's all a dance. With eyes wide open (and my camera handy), I'm ready for the next sign to present itself.