lost and found

I've said it before....walks are magical. They're like these little explorations that don't require going any further than a few blocks in one direction or another. Simply walk out your front door, keep an open eye and an open mind, and the adventure comes to you. Dan and I took just such an adventure on Sunday. And, being the "gleaner" that I am, I was on the lookout for discarded garbage-day finds. But, it was Dan that spied the day's treasure: a tattered Ziploc, filled with bits of paper, ceramic tiles, and carpet swatches. From the looks of the bag, I imagined that it could've been lying there on the ground for many months, sitting underneath the piles of snow that have come our way in unusually large amounts this winter.

"Do you want to take it back to the house and see what's inside?" I asked....wide-eyed, I'm sure.

"Not really," he laughed, "but I know you do."

"It's a blog entry waiting to happen," I announced. And, with that we were off, treasure in hand. Of course, I couldn't help but ponder over how the little baggie found its way to the side of the road or why such a conglomeration had been placed in the bag in the first place. Upon further inspection, Dan concluded that the contents were someone's kitchen samples. The former owners of the bag were most likely redecorating, and these random pieces represented their carpet, wallpaper, and counter choices. Seemed logical enough.

And while I can't quite figure out how the combination would work all that well together in one room, I found a new purpose for the discarded bits. You see, I can't just leave well enough alone. It goes against everything inside of me. When simple swatches have the potential to become fun, little works of art, I see no reason to hold them back from all they were destined to be.