Blog Archives

Awareness of Beauty

It has been said that, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I find that to be mostly true.

We all have our own definitions for Beauty and what it consists of. Out West here, it could be seeing a beautiful horse in full gallop, or a sunset over the mountains, or the sight of an eagle in the sky. It depends on your frame of reference really. Perhaps it is a sailboat on the horizon, or windsurfing, or zip-lining through the top of a forest somewhere. Perhaps it is a smile on a loved one’s face. Perhaps it is a beautiful flower or barn swallow babies on the nest.

Whatever it consists of, one thing can be ascertained: We can get so wrapped up in our work, our jobs, our To Do Lists, emotions, etc., that we lose our awareness of Beauty in any form.

I have been with a friend, looking at a beautiful sunset over the mountains, and standing in awe at the colors before me. I turned to my friend to comment on it, and she said, “What? I don’t know what you are talking about.” She was so consumed with some sad issues that she had totally lost sight of the moment and her surroundings.

Have you ever done that? If you have, are you willing to let yourself become more aware so that you can wake up your senses to the loveliness that surrounds you? After all, the only day we have is right NOW, the PRESENT. It is the only place we really live, second by second. Not yesterday, not tomorrow…Do you want to LIVE NOW?

Mountain Sunset

Mountain Sunset

Gardenia

Gardenia

Barn Swallow Babies

Barn Swallow Babies

Thoughts and Feelings

I often ask myself, “What do I choose to be today: bud, blossom, or withered stem?

The thoughts and feelings I dwell on will determine my choice:

The bud is my tomorrow…

The withered stem is my yesterday…

The blossom is NOW — this moment.

The choices I make today will determine what buds are made tomorrow.

Out of the cocoon of my yesterdays

comes what is happening today.

Today, I can choose once again to be reborn

into a new sense of awareness.

Again, I ask myself, “What will I choose?”

 

What do you want to choose?

Would you rather cling to those withered stems,

refusing to let go because of some worth you attached to them?

Could they ever again produce a bud or blossom?

Not likely.

Remember the good those stems once brought to you,

and choose to begin today to look for buds and blossoms.

They are all around you, if you but look.

They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes.

Widen your horizons and focus!

DSC_0576