Through the Looking Glass

Just a normal day, in Upstate New York. On a languorous 80 degree Sunday. The aqua colored water bottle sitting across from me is half filled, the freshly washed strawberries are waiting to be eaten. My desk top is filled with papers upon papers. My cellular device is currently at 14% and the laptop I'm currently using is at a battery percentage of 100. I hear the sounds of people going about their day.

As I sit in my room typing this, I feel the warmth of the sun hitting my legs. The sun's rays cast many shadows and bounce off objects from every which way. The white linen curtains I hung last week fit just right and are pulled to the side so I can feel the air of the hot summer. On top of that, pearly white wooden blinds sit just behind the snowy colored curtains. As I pull the white and brown string sitting next to the blinds I see before me the works of Mother Nature. I see skies of blue and clouds of white, the bright blessed day and I think to myself what a wonderful sight.

There's a lovely bed of flowers just outside my window. Stones and small peddles are scattered along the rims below my window, and from it I see a singular infant pine tree that managed to survive the harsh winter. The rest of the smaller plants are yet to awaken from their dormant state, but I can lightly see the routes starting to sprout from within the brown and grey peddles. When they do bloom they will display pink and red buds filled with delicious nectar for bees to extract. The grass is freshly cut and nourished from yesterday's gardening session. It looks to soft to touch!

Outside my window I hear the many sounds of the lovely neighbors cutting their overgrown lawn. The engine of their mowers roaring loudly as they chop down every long strand. I spot one neighbor and he's wearing a white cap, a black sleeveless tank top, worn out light blue jeans, and what seems to be black Nike sneakers. He’s sweating profoundly from the heat and the labor.

His wife on the other side of the house, is slumped on a cotton monogrammed lounge chair and is soaking in the sun. She's wearing her favorite blue bathing suit and has on her iconic black shades to block out the high-energy lights radiating from the beaming star above. Their house sits across from mine, a red coated 2 story house with 4-5 lavishing trees decorating their front lawn.

In my peripheral view, I notice that two of my oak trees haven't woken up from their slumber just yet. They have no leaves but I'm sure their limbs will eventually fill out. I stare at the two Eastern grey squirrels sitting by one of the oak trees, sniffing at the ground. They both raise their heads up when they hear a car pass by and continue to smell the grass. After 2 minutes they loose interest and run off with their precious grey tails trailing behind them.

I have noticed the growing population of cardinals in my region—I can't help but to admire their beauty. Everyday when my mood feels down, I always seem to spot the same cardinal perched in the branches of the oak tree. Its red feathers are so eccentric to me in every good way and the black pigment around its beak and chin only gives it a more majestic appearance. It bobs its head lightly and then twists its head gently left to right. Through the window I can hear it clearly chirp and whistle. The song is a loud string of clear down-slurres and two-parted whistles, speeding up and ending in a slow trill. The song lasted 5 to 10 seconds. And just like the squirrels it takes off.

Countless dandelions danced around in the air and a few ended up landing on the screen of my window. The build up of pollen adorned my window screen as well. The yellow powder—although it provokes my allergies—reminds me that I'll be able to go flower picking soon. The flower's flamboyance always manage to brighten my day.

The ice cream truck navigates through the road in front of me and I can see the big ice cream cone embellished at the top of the vehicle. I look at the diverse ice cream flavors displayed on the side of the truck and instantly spot out my two favorite ones, the mouth watering cookie ice cream sandwich and the vanilla cookie dough ice cream. I see the young woman driving the vehicle and spot that she's wearing a black cap and has her brown hair in a ponytail. She has a stoic expression plastered on her face. The typical music the ice cream truck utilizes blasts through its speakers and doesn't halt for a second.

A mother walking a shih tzu and her two sons turn toward the entrance of my neighborhood. Both of her sons are riding their bikes, one blue and the other green. They both wear black child size knee pads and safety helmets—matching the colors of their bikes, how adorable! They’re wearing superhero t-shirts, one being of Captain America and the other Superman. I hear both of them laugh in excitement. The mother seems like she's in her early 30's and is wearing black yoga pants with a pink short sleeved shirt. She's smiling at her sons and continues to walk her miniature canine.

I decide to open the window all the way up because my room is starting to heat up quite a bit. I feel the cool summer breeze on my skin. My sight improves without the window constantly casting a glare in my view. The people that were outside before have long gone inside. I see the occasional brown chipmunks wander about in the yard. Their cheeks are stuffed with food and they climb up the flourishing trees where their nest reside.

I get a whiff of a delectable barbecue, I can't locate where it's coming from but it's very profound. I can now hear the gargling sound of the water fountain by my window. Its soothing tune of water splashing against water lull me into a peaceful trance. By the fountain, brown and black petit species of birds bathe and consume the H2O. I can hear the sound of their wings speckle against the water and their consistent chatter.

The landscape in my presence is taken for granted. I find it refreshing and calming. It would be given the title of "ordinary" but there's nothing more I would ask for. I'd rather be living a simple life filled with Earth's creation surrounding me. It's a work of art in my eyes.