Bringing Paradise to Me

After all the anticipation, preparation, and hype, Hurricane Irene turned out to be a dud in my neck of the woods. We did have quite a bit of rain and the wind has been whipping pretty good, but we never even lost electricity. Some areas saw more damage than others—downed trees, flooding, storm surge and the like. Some of these areas are only minutes from me. It’s strange how Mother Nature works. But I thank each and every one of you for your concern, whether mentioned here on my blog or on Twitter.

In the last few days, with all the bad weather yet to come, I often thought about my favorite place to be. Well, if truth be told, I often think about it anyway. I had come up with an idea this past summer, that if I couldn’t be there every day (at least for right now), that I’d bring a bit of my paradise to me.

While on vacation this year, I bought several postcards of Vermont scenery to use in my Filo.

My stock of postcards.

I punched each one with my Filofax personal punch. Since the postcards are a bit smaller than the personal paper, it isn’t an exact science. I just lined up the holes evenly to the postcard as best I could. I keep one card in the front of my Filo at all times.

The current postcard in my Filo.

I have a transparent fly leaf lying overtop the postcard to keep it nice for as long as possible. It is the first thing I see when opening my binder. It always makes me smile. I will change out the postcard with the seasons, though I am lacking in a winter scene. They are hard to come by in the summer time. But it’s the perfect excuse to visit again in the late fall (though maybe I should have thought of that when I was there last fall). In any event, this small addition to my planner makes a huge difference to me.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, whether in a hurricane or your own paradise.

*Update: Since writing this post I have come to learn that Vermont has experienced great devastation due to Hurricane Irene. The area my family and I visit every year is one that was heavily impacted. The videos and news coverage show just how much destruction the state has endured. It is heartbreaking for me to see it. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone the terrible flooding has impacted, my own family especially.