Dear Friends,
Continuing on last week’s theme of seeing the beauty right in front of you, I decided to get outside the office yesterday and take a walk around the block. As you will see in the pictures below, Spring was bursting into bloom all around me. I saw lots of people on my jaunt, although most of them didn’t see me because their heads were looking down at their smart phones. I got kind of excited when a woman came toward me with a big smile on her face saying something to me….but then I realized she wasn’t talking to me at all but was talking into the bluetooth device hooked around her ear.
These photos represent some of the beauty I saw in just one block.
What did you notice when you woke up this morning and started your day? Was it beauty? If you’re anything like me, you might not see much of anything until that first cup of coffee. But once my eyes begin to focus, I attempt to make a regular habit of looking at the beauty I see all around me.
I read a quote recently: “We don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.” In other words, if you are unhappy or discouraged, chances are you won’t see anything of beauty no matter where you’re looking. On the other hand, when you are at peace and your soul is full of joy, just about everything glows. So maybe if you aren’t seeing the beauty all around you, perhaps the best thing to do is start out working within. Begin by seeing the beauty in the everyday little things, the little things we too often take for granted. Henry Ward Beecher said “The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” Indeed, there is beauty everywhere.
So take some time this week and think of some of the beautiful things that you see every day that you may completely take for granted. Start focusing on some of those things, even if just for a few moments, and see what it does to change your outlook on life.
Our chancel choir sometimes leads us in a catchy chorus with these words:
Look all around you, come join in the song
Sadness and gloom on this day now be gone.
See all the goodness that passes your way,
To God, the Great Wonder, give praise on this day.
Look all around you and have a beautiful day!
You are loved,
Wayne