This morning I went out to my backyard and picked blueberries. It was about 6:30, so the sun was just rising, the dew was heavy on the grass, the birds were singing, our rooster was crowing and the air was still a little chilly.

At first, picking the berries was a chore - something I had to get through before I started the rest of my day. Bucket in hand, I bent over and started plucking them off the top branches of the bushes - hurry, hurry, I have things to do and people to see.

But picking blueberries is not a hurry-hurry kind of thing. You have to be meticulous, pulling each ripe berry away from the stem, being careful not to disturb its little still green neighbors. You have to search and study. You have to peer and investigate. Only then will you find the purple-blue treasures bursting with juice.

After a few moments, I knew that standing would never work, so I tried to sit on the edge of the patch. We have 4 x 4s lining the area. When I sat, I could see some of the blueberries I missed on the first round. But, even from this perspective, I really couldn't get to all of them.

Finally, I sat on the ground facing the blueberries. Yes, the ground was still wet and certain parts of my anatomy distinctly felt it - but once your bottom is wet, well, you're committed.

I stopped trying to beat a blueberry picking record and started enjoying the simple task of blueberry picking. I thought about how life was a lot like picking blueberries, if you hurry through it too much - you miss some of the most delightful treasures. I thought about my blog - and how I was going to share this with you. I thought about how lucky I was to be able to pick blueberries on a summer's morning - the first day of July.

Then I tested something - I picked a blueberry from one of the top branches of the bush and popped it into my mouth - although it was big and beautiful and easy to reach - it was a little sour. Then I scoured deep into the bush and hunted for a smaller, darker and harder to find blueberry. The juice was sweet and lush - everything you'd want in a blueberry.

Once again I was reminded how often we overlook the real treasures because we only reach for the obvious and the easy. Was it sweeter because I had to work harder to find it? Um, no, but that would have been cool - wouldn't it?

Take some time today and go blueberry picking - whether your blueberry picking of choice is smelling the flowers at the florist, having a deep conversation with a five-year old, listening to a senior citizen talk about their life, reading instead of skimming or just stopping to count the blessings in your life - I promise you that it will be time well spent.