Being back in my classroom preparing for my students’ arrival next week has taken much of my time, attention, and energy this week.  It’s already Thursday and I haven’t really given much effort to finding patterns for my photo-a-day challenge. (#sdawpphotovoices)  So today I was intentional about looking for patterns and taking some photos.

I started the morning by finding that Margit had put up a beautifully patterned backdrop on the classroom wall in anticipation of some student work that will be created next week.  I love the colors and textures of the paper…and this is just a snippet of the larger wall.

As I headed to the other school for a morning of inservice, this odd assortment of chairs was sitting outside in front of a pattern of wall tiles.  I like the slightly shuffled look of the chairs.  And it’s funny, because when I came out three hours later the chairs were neatly ordered…a pattern I didn’t capture with my camera.

Coming back to my school I noticed this bike rack in front of the office.  I was intrigued by the shadows on the right hand side, adding another dimension to the pattern.

When I left school this afternoon I ended up with a short window of time to myself.  I stopped by Starbucks for an afternoon coffee and took a wonderful learning walk around the area.  I was surprised by all the patterns I found.  These four were all around a local restaurant.  Textures, shadows, colors, and peek-a-boos all caught my eye!

I haven’t really thought about the way that looking for photo opportunities and framing interesting shots both feeds and relaxes me.  My short five-minute walk and photography session was a boost to my feeling of well-being and energy level.  I need to remember to find these windows of time–even when I am busy.  Hours later I still feel refreshed by my afternoon pattern walk!