Chalkboard Messages

When I am walking down a street in a shopping area or wandering through a mall I always stop to read the words written on chalkboards or whiteboards outside shops. Sometimes it is just an advert or information about items on special. Perhaps it is a quote or something thought provoking. Other times it is something funny.


Outside a travel agency I saw a sign declaring, 'Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer,' It made me think about the benefits of travel. By travel, I am thinking of short local excursions as well as that big overseas trip.

I have only ventured outside Australia once and it was a wonderful holiday. My vacation in Phuket led me to understand the saying, 'Travel broadens the mind.' The lifestyle of many of the local people was so different from what I am accustomed to.

Day outings close to home also enrich my life. It is interesting to explore a suburb I haven't walked around before. It is also an eye opener to go back to an area I haven't been to for twenty or thirty years. How things change. A suburb that was once run down may have been redeveloped and now be a desirable place to own a home. Other areas, once prestigious, may now be neglected.


At a cafe not far from my home I read, 'You are what you eat ... so don't be fast, cheap, easy or fake.' Good advice. They serve nutritious home made snacks and meals at the cafe as the sign suggests.


The message, 'A picture is a poem without words,' caught my attention and made me think. I have often thought a photo of something can be like a short poem of a few words. Sometimes when I focus on a detail in a scene or crop a photo to remove unnecessary background I liken it to writing a poem of a few words. When writing a haiku or other short poem you have to remove everything that is not essential. I can see the connection between a poem and a picture.


There is a chalkboard outside the local fabric store. The message is changed regularly. This week's offering is, 'We don't make mistakes, we do variations.'

This could be a good way to approach to some of life's small errors. Instead of blaming yourself for making a mistake or forgetting something, you could try seeing it in a positive light. When you realise you have run out of an ingredient needed for a particular recipe, perhaps something can be substituted. The result will be a variation.

Reading messages and quotes gives me something to ponder as I go about my shopping or explore a different area of shops. What do the words mean? Do I agree? Is there another possible interpretation? Chalkboards add another interesting facet to a walk down the street.


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