Forest, Trees.

I've been in a pretty contemplative mood for the last couple of weeks. Despite being surrounded by the whirlwind of family and festivity that is Christmas, I've been spending a lot of time in my head. Scheming, evaluating, reevaluating, singing quiet songs.

This puts some people off, to be sure, as quietude can easily be mistaken for disinterest or even anger. There is a lengthy laundry list of reasons for my inward focus but none of them are negative, per se. I actually haven't felt this content for a long time.

How does this make for an interesting blog? Patience friends, bear with me.

Most religions and cultures (those outside Christianity and Capitalism, that is) place a high premium on an individuals' ability to relax, to quiet the mind and maintain focus on the big picture. At our worst, we get so caught up in little everyday struggles that our frustration boils over and burns everyone around, particularly those closest to us. At our best, though, we choose to keep the more pleasant details in the forefront of our minds and hearts. We remember that everything is connected, that we get what we give and that love is all that matters.

At times it's hard to see the forest for the trees. But beautiful moments happen constantly in this life, and we'd all be better off to focus on what we have rather than what we don't. For me, it's taken a couple weeks of mental vacation to regain that focus; you might use yoga, date night, fireside chats, long-distance phone calls or a hot bath with a good book.

It's always there if we're willing to look.

While we're on the subject of quiet songs and beautiful moments, here's one of each in the lives of two lovely people in the prime of a marriage that ultimately unraveled, but not before they created two lovely children and some lovely music. (Yep, we're still infatuated with Ms. Simon)