Tuesday, October 9, 2018

What are You Valued For?

What are you valued for?

I had an interesting experience several years ago, when I joined a group of mostly Indian (as in the Indian sub-continent) bloggers.

What could I provide of value to this group?  Many belonging to the group were professionals - computer people, doctors.  I'm not.

It turns out my contribution was something I never expected.  Two things, actually.

Fall foliage.  And snow.

These are common where I live in upstate New York.  The trees are starting to turn color.  And, in another month (or maybe even less) there will be snow, too.


So ordinary, so common to me.  So interesting to others, where trees don't turn colors and snow rarely falls.  Other people want to look at what is commonplace to me.

It was an eye opener. So let me share some early fall foliage with you, along with our famous October clouds.


These first two pictures were taken in Ithaca, New York (about an hour from where I live) Sunday.

And one taken today, in downtown Binghamton, where I work, along with more clouds.  It was a state holiday, but the tree wasn't taking it off.

Enjoy.  There will be more fall foliage to come.

We all have interests or talents that others don't have.  It's up to us to use what has been given to us, hopefully for good, hopefully to help repair our world. 

What is something that seems ordinary to you but makes you more valuable to some?

Day 9 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

13 comments:

  1. I love this. You're so right. We often compare ourselves to others rather than remembering how unique we are and what we have to offer. This resonates to me. Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't believe your trees are changing. With our continued temps in the high 80s & 90s, I fear the foliage won't change until Thanksgiving- and will finish in an hour.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So true, Alana. Most times I don't value what I am/have. I assume everyone comes from/sees/thinks like I do. It's good to be reminded that is not so. However, our trees do change colours much like yours. This time of year can be glorious and dreary at the same time. And we've had snow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this, Alana! And I'm envious of your beautiful fall foliage! We're into snow already and kinda missed that step!
    And you are so right. We may never know the contribution we make! When I started blogging, I was simply telling the stories of my childhood growing up on a ranch. To me, ordinary and mundane. To other people around the world (according to the statistics), intriguing and interesting. Really?! Huh.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You don't even have to leave the country to find places that don't get snow. Sometimes I think of Christmas in Australia. What must it be like to have Christmas in the middle of summer?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Isn't it interesting how we take something(s) for granted that's in our backyard, while to others it's amazing, interesting, curious, etc. etc.? Perspective:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. The trees are lovely! I was at a wedding over the weekend when an out-of-town guest questioned me about the cookie table - apparently, it's the cookie table that makes us Pennsylvanians valuable. Haha!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Not sure where most my blogger friends come from. But a little while ago I seem to pick up bloggers from "Down Under"
    I'm in the upper part of panhandle in Idaho and there one blogger I visit from Boise, about eight and half hour drive.
    Coffee is on

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm originally from NY (da Bronx and Yonkers), but have lived in CA for 18 years and then moved to AZ. Fall is one thing I do miss about the East Coast. But not the snow. I appreciate you sharing your foliage photos.

    As for what my friends value me for is my honesty, and loyalty to our friendship.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fall foliage and snow, the two things I miss from upstate NY. Beautiful photos, I'll be waiting to see more of your northern beauty!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a valuable recognition you made - your uniqueness in a group. We all have something special to offer, sometimes it just takes a little while to figure it out. I guess it's important to not disqualify ourselves before we even begin!

    ReplyDelete
  12. In Western New York, our trees are just beginning to change color. It's nice to see the leaves at a later stage.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Your comments mean a lot to me, and I appreciate each one. These comments are moderated, so they may not post for several hours. If you are spam, you will find your comments in my compost heap, where they will finally serve a good purpose.