Tuesday night is trash night in the Anderson household – and whether mild and comfortable, or sub-zero and bone-chilling, it’s my job to gather all the bags and roll things out to the curb on my appointed night. Last night was no exception. However, even in such mundane tasks as “taking out the trash”, one can find beauty and art if you are open to it. Thankfully, I was on this night.
You see, not only is it trash night, but this also is going to be one of the coldest nights I can remember in Colorado – we are on pace to be at 17 below zero by morning! Like I said – bone-chilling! In our house, that translates to fires in the fireplace. A bundle of wood costs around $3 and it heats the entire house to where we almost have to open windows. So, we needed no encouragement to add the warmth of a fire last night.
Also, as an admitted “guy”, there is nothing more fun than poking and stirring a fire, whether it be in a fireplace or in a campsite. So, my face was naturally glued to the fire for most of the evening. Twist twist, poke poke. Then a log here and there…and some old cardboard I tore up to throw out (remember, it was trash night). The smell of the crackling wood and ash is still lingering in my mind too. That, combined with a nice red vino made for probably one of the most relaxing evenings.
It was quite relaxing too…and even Tracy joined me for a few minutes of quiet time just gazing at the embers before finishing things up for the night (a.k.a. the trash). The flames from the fire, still flickering inside my head, were doused by the chill of the air on stepping out to the garage. The frost already on the door was right there, in my face, reminding me of how cold it actually was/is outside. (Bone-chilling, in case you didn’t get that yet.) And right then, it hit me – frozen snowflakes of ice on the window – with the light coming down behind it…just gorgeous!
When thinking about these two images, and how much I liked them, it dawned on me further that these are great examples of how juxtaposing themes can work really well together…and it all came from taking out the trash! The point: keep your eyes open, the next dose of inspiration can come from anywhere, even the most mundane task on the planet! And wit an amazing contest going on now – this is as good a time as ever to keep your artistic eyes open!