Etc.

Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be! / Just feel that summer breeze - the way it's calling me / For like the first time ever, I'm completely free! / I could go running / And racing / And dancing / And chasing / And leaping / And bounding / Hair flying / Heart pounding / And splashing / And reeling / And finally feeling / Now's when my life begins! ~When My Life Begins, Tangled

I love the little things in life.

The beautiful and talented Jess at Yours Truly inspired me to look past the broader spectrum of sun and sky, heat and wind, and to gaze upon the things that would normally miss my glance.

You see, summer is full of big-ness.

Wild storms with intense winds and fist-sized hail. Overbearing heat and burning rays of sun turning skin from snow white to strawberry-esque pink.

But there is something to be said for letting go of the windowpane and taking a microscope to the summer days.

There is artistic contrast to be found in the simple beauty of a ladybug resting on the petal of a daisy...

...the red and black stand as a stark and elegant difference to the sweetness of white.

There is something sweet in the way the wind takes the barest strands of hair and sends them in a gentle caress over my cheeks...

...as if to say in Aslan's whisper, "courage, dearheart."

There is a strange sort of love to be found in the way the rain falls down from grey-laden clouds...

...even the sullenness of rain bears a mysterious type of magic on a midsummer afternoon.

There is a innocence to be found in the brush of a pink kitten's nose against your ear...

...the snuffling purr and endearing push of a fluffy head against your chin to remind you that there is still someone who loves you, even when you feel nothing if not alone.

There is something so perfect about the sweet pucker of lemonade against your tongue...

...the cool, refreshing tartness flowing down your throat and spreading out to the tips of your fingers and toes, flooding you with the essence of summertime and childhood memories.

With summer in all it's glory and delights, it's hard to not get lost in the picture, and forget to notice the photographer.

But I dare not forget the miscellaneous details.

I will embrace the etcetera.

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~Hans Christian Anderson