This is the view just beyond my laptop monitor. Often, I catch myself in a moment of awe and gratitude of nature itself and how fortunate that I am able to bear witness to this ever-changing landscape just outside my window. During my typical digital workday full of conference calls and email, it is wonderful to be able to simply gaze out of the window for a moment of calm appreciation and see the passage of time through a different perspective.

Though most days I enjoy the quiet elegance of the California hills, when I make my way into my office in the Financial District of San Francisco the change in energy is palpable.  In less than 1 hour, I can arrive to the invigorating hustle and bustle of the city. It remind me that I live in the heart of one of the most amazing places in the world.   

I consider myself amazingly lucky to have the best of both worlds - calming country home and energizing city life - even more so to be truly passionate about what I do for a living!

 

Some of the beauties that engage me:

  • the butterfly  flitting by my window and landing on the flowers
  • the coyote  that only comes at dawn and dusk, walking the ridge - in the springtime being trailed by her pups
  • the lizard  sunning on the pavement and scurrying into the grass  
  • the hawks and turkey vultures that glide on the warm currents that flow over the hills
  • the cows when they visit for a few short weeks until they've eaten all of the grass in sight, especially when they have their calves that skip and jump and play  
  • the turkeys  that flock and run, they make me laugh when they parade down the sidewalk, and smile when they proudly display their plumage, infrequent though it is
  • the hummingbirds  that zoom and dive - who knew the tiny birds were so noisy and territorial?

 ~ Michelle