My children and I enjoyed frolicking in swimming pool, each of us adding pink to our cheeks and smiles to our faces.

What a surprise to wake up this morning to a cold wind blowing and appearance of thick rain clouds.

To many parts of country, this is not odd at all. In Bakersfield, where we experience two seasons: very hot and fog, having two completely different weather experiences within a span of 24 hours is highly unusual. In shifting, we can get a bit off kilter.

A very practical example is this: if our intention for today was to wear same wardrobe as yesterday, we would be awfully uncomfortable today! Instead, we have to think and respond differently. As we started our day today, I asked Katherine if she wanted to wear short sleeved top and short skirt we put out night before, or would she prefer I put some cold weather clothes out instead.

She chose cold weather clothes and we saved spring clothes for when weather shifts back to warm.

We were not rigid to choice we made last night. In new weather context, it simply did not make sense.

As we reach out and discover discover different realms with different ways of being, it is most satisfying to navigate a bit differently.

Henry David Thoreau made this comment: "Be a Columbus to new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels of thought."

School children throughout United States and Canada will tell you that Christopher Columbus discovered America when he was searching for a faster, more efficient route to riches of India. They will also tell you he meant to prove that Earth was not flat, that it was round.

Others will tell you that Columbus was first of many to begin downfall of a civilization.

Still others will say Columbus was a navigator of extreme skill, a passionate seeker of God's will and a Commander of men who assisted in ending an invasion of Spain even as he was not a Spaniard.

No matter what your opinion or thoughts are on who Christopher Columbus was as a person, there are some remarkable facts to learn from his life.

Lily scrunched her nose: Mrs. Parker's expression and demeanor were so opposite to statement. Lily found it very exhilarating to imagine and embrace new lessons available to each of us daily.

How often have we heard "You learn something new every day"? What have we believed about that statement?

Think for a moment.

Tell me, what did you learn today? How about yesterday? How about on January 16 (or pick any random date)?

Abigail Adams said, "Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."

As people seeking to make a difference in world, first place to start learning is within our own lives. Being conscious in realm of learning is simply being alert and awake to all possibilities that surround you daily.

For example, I scan newspaper everyday.

I had an assignment in a class I was taking to read newspaper and find two articles which are especially interesting to me and add them to a scrap book for future reference.

Now when I scan newspaper, I am looking for headlines that light something within me. Sometimes my local paper does not cut it, so I subscribed to New York Times Headline email service. Today one of articles I chose to study was about bus service in Atlanta.

>From that one article I can do several things to grow my business and positively impact my life.