lather. rinse. repeat.

I wake up. I eat.  I work.  I eat some more.  I  work a bit more.  I eat and then I go to sleep.

It suddenly struck me the other day that I have way more in common with the hamster in his cage than I care to admit.  Life  is a series of  repeated cycles, not unlike the shampoo bottle directions:  lather, rinse, repeat.

Oh, there may be little variances here and there (the cage gets put near a window, I take a break from working up a sweat in the squeaky wheel), but there are still basics that need to be covered.  We eat but then several hours later, darned if we don't have to eat again.  We sleep but 18 hours later, you feel tired and have to lay down all over again.

For a person that craves variety, this revelation is rather depressing.  I'm certain this is not the first time the well-worn ruts of routine have made an  impression on me.  When my children were small, I'd mop the kitchen floor only to have a drop of grape juice ruin the effect half an hour later.  I'd translate the PTA newsletter for my kids' bilingual elementary school, and then a few weeks later, it was time to do it again.  Same hill, different day.

Is it though?  Photographer Paul Octavious has been photographing the same hill for four years (on different days, of course) and, well, here's a sample of his work.

Not unlike the snowflake, each day, each routine must have its unique gifts and connecting moments where life (and love) is found.  Today, in particular, when love is celebrated, I want to find and help create these moments.