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Last week while visiting with my neighbors, they mentioned the tree frogs that apparently occupy the shrub that is in between our houses.  They were surprised when I had no idea what they were talking about.  Sure enough, though, the next afternoon I took my camera outside and within moments of approaching the bush saw two of the small tree frogs.

 We have been in this house for nearly 8 months.  While I'm sure they weren't out there in the dead of winter, I still never noticed them in the last couple of months since the weather has been a little nicer.  How could something so wonderful and intricate escape my view?  Because I didn't take the time to notice!

If you are at our house in the evening, you will probably notice the choir of croaking coming from behind the house.  At first, I found it highly obnoxious.  But after finding these frogs in the hedge that I had never taken the time to open my eyes to, I realized that lately I do not even notice the sound echoing from the slough that runs through our neighborhood.  Not until the sound abruptly stops on occasion do I notice that the frogs are even making any noise.  The sudden silence is what catches my attention now, not the music that is filling the night.

It really is amazing what you can find when you just stop for a minute and look around you.  I have been trying to stop more often and appreciate the things surrounding me.  You would be surprised how much you miss while just going through the tasks of your day.  How you view your surroundings really can impact the way you think and feel. 

Please - take time to notice the little details, the small pieces of beauty that are just waiting to present themselves to you.  It will do your soul some good.