Honoring Humanity In Everyday Life | About

The Beautiful Things of Life

A flower for you.

Today you have a choice.

No matter the difficulty of your current circumstances, there is life. No matter how alone you feel, others are with you. No matter how dark the room, rays of light still pierce the shadow.

Beauty is all around you. You can choose to see it, or ignore it.

I hope you see it.

***

Tread
Step
Stroll
Walk, my friends
Walk among the sunlit fields
Watch
Look
Stare
See that all the world around you is beautiful

See the beauty in the morning. An orange sun streams through the window. The clouds burst into flame. You look up, smile, and go back to sleep.

See the beauty in the shower. At the right time of day and with the right angle, a double rainbow sparkles off the falling water. It’s a colorful way to start the day.

See the beauty in a bowl of fruit. Blue, red and black – berries fill your mouth with joy.

See the beauty in the storm. Dark clouds roll on a sky of gray and green. Lightning flashes. Thunder booms. And the rain falls down all around. And as quick as it arrived, it’s gone. And all is peaceful again.

See the beauty in the thrill of sport. The ref awards the other team a penalty. Full of nervous tension, you watch their striker thump the ball goalwards. No one’s going to touch that shot.

But someone does. With an outstretched arm, the keeper directs the shot over the bar. Joy. Celebration. Your team is going to win.

See the beauty in a solitary flower. Surrounded by an army of concrete and dirt, it stands in defiance. Its color is a spot of life among the gray.

See the beauty in the lake. Geysers of water shoot skywards as the waves strike the rocky shore.

Two dogs dart back and forth, trying their best to catch the water. Tails wag with excitement. They may never catch a wave, but they don’t seem to mind.

See the beauty in a book – purchased earlier in the day and started immediately. Your world slips away as you enter another one. Evening comes five hours later. The book is finished.

See the beauty in the setting sun. Its rays give their final kiss to the earth. With a sparkle off of towering skyscrapers and a final dance through the trees, the sun bids farewell.

***

Move
Jog
Sprint
Run, my friends
Run along the moonlit trails
Give
Tell
Share
See that the people around you are beautiful

Share the beauty with a stranger on the beach. She’s walking her dog. You’re sitting and enjoying the sunrise. As she passes, she gives a knowing look. Welcome to the morning. Everyone else is missing out.

Share the beauty with the owner of your local grocery store. As you enter, he smiles and says hello. You feel welcomed.

He always does that. And you love it every time.

Share the beauty with music and song. While you relax at a coffee shop, a guitarist sets up to perform. Rhythm fills the already pleasant atmosphere with satisfaction.

He finishes his songs. You clap.

Share the beauty with a familiar face. Walking the street on your way home, you see someone you haven’t seen in a while. You talk for a while, wish him well and continue on your way.

Share the beauty with the man on the street selling magazines. Without him prompting, you ask him if you can buy one.

Absolutely, he replies with a smile.

You hand him two dollars. He hands you the magazine. Even if there are no interesting articles, your money has been well spent.

Share the beauty with a friend. You tell them a funny joke.

What did the cobbler say when a cat wandered into his shop?

Shoe!

Share the beauty with a baby. Everything is new and wondrous. Eyes wide open, she explores the world around her. She smiles as you smile.

***

Sway
Twirl
Spin
Dance, my friends
Dance over the starlit waters
Think
Feel
Know
See that the whole of you is beautiful

Be the beauty of learning. Preparing for your promotion test, you practice your pattern.

Step. Block. Punch.

No, that’s not right.

Step. Block. Block. Punch.

Closer. Again and again you work at it.

Then everything clicks. Your mind and body move within the same space. You move with balance and grace. You are ready.

Be the beauty of silliness. Using the mirror in the morning, you make a face at your reflection. Infuriated that it made a face back, you make another face.

Be the beauty of silence. You sit on your rocking chair with a cup of coffee – carefully brewed with beans from Kenya. Amid the calm of your drink, the voice within you speaks. You hear it and are glad.

Be the beauty of delight. A big wave forms in the distance. Slowly it rises. You watch and move, tracking the point of its fullest height. So arrogant, the wave is, that it seems to rise beyond itself.

And down it comes, crashing into the shore below. You leap into it. You embrace its energy.

It throws you off your feet. You spin and twirl amid the tumble of surf and sand. Slightly dizzy, you rise again. In the distance another waves begins to rise. Bring it on, you say.

Be the beauty of love. Amid the magnificence of the beauty around you, you become overwhelmed. You feel as though you are not enough to take it all in. Gratitude washes over you.

***

What beauty have you seen? What beauty have you shared? What beauty have you been?

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A flower for you. I made this photo in Carol Stream, IL.