The most important lessons often come when you least expect them.

This past weekend I awoke very early on a Sunday morning for absolutely no reason at all…maybe. One can argue that there is a reason for everything if you look hard enough. The spring is still chilly in central NY where I live, but since for once it wasn’t raining so I decided to brave the front porch with my coffee. And I am so glad I did!

Shortly after I settled in to talk with my husband (who is an annoyingly chipper early riser by nature,) I spotted a brightly colored hot air balloon in the distance. It seemed to be floating over my little city, not in a hurry, just gently making its way north. I looked for a moment, and then turned back to my conversation.

When I looked up a few moments later it was almost directly over my house. At which point I sprinted for my camera, breathlessly returning in the nick of time to capture the magnificent sight. The occupants of the balloon waved as I frantically snapped photos, most likely marveling at the crazy woman with the camera. And then quickly it was over and the balloon glided away.

What is my point you ask. Well, I honestly do have one. Really.

If I hadn’t taken the opportunity to go outside and savor the early morning, I would have missed this moment. If we hadn’t looked up at that precise time, we would have missed this moment. If the winds hadn’t shifted to change the course of the balloon it would have remained nothing more than a dot on the horizon …and I would have missed this moment.

The lesson?

Keep your eyes open and be aware of what is going on around you. We often have our heads down and get so caught up in what we are doing that we miss opportunities that slip right by without our notice.