24/365 Happy Little Rose

These were on the table at my friends house and the little rose in the middles caught my eye immediately. It was perfectly open and looked like it was saying, "Here I am world!" I am going to try and face everyday just like this little rose with an excited attitude to wake up and just LIVE!

17/365 The Inviting Bench

I pass this bench often as I go about my day. But it wasn't until I started this 365 challenge that I noticed the beauty of it. I feel like I've been looking at the world and the everyday life experiences through a new vista now. I've noticed that I have rarely seen a single soul sitting on this bench. There is a constant flow of people rushing by to get to where they are going, missing out on what this bench has to offer. It's a good constant reminder to me now to slow down and take a moment to rest and contemplate on the beauty around me. President Uchtdorf said in the last General Conference: 
"If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most." 

So my challenge is to not get lost in the rush of the crowd but to sometimes take a moment to sit on your own "inviting bench" to contemplate what really matters.

4/365 Subway

I took this on my way home from work. I remember my first week here, and how hard the subways were for me. I got lost a million times a day. I remember trying to get Downtown and ended up off the Island of Manhattan in the opposite direction. What a mess! People were so nice and helpful however. I had one man get off his own train to walk me to the right one because he could tell how desperately lost I was.  Now, although I may miss my stop because I'm too absorbed in my book or because I've dozed off, I feel like I know the subways like the back of my hand. I love being able to help the person with the big subway maps and lost look find their way in the crazy NYC subways!