Do You See?

December 03, 2010


 “Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
Confucius

This time of year, many of us become more introspective (when we’re not rushing around preparing for the holidays). We often take stock of what we’ve done in the past year, and think ahead to the coming new year. Now is also a good time to take a moment to enjoy the festive decorations or observe the changes in the natural world (for a good example of this, see Elizabeth Smith’s lovely post about autumn in Florida here).

“I think the reason we all get up in the morning, whether we know it or not, is that brief moment during the day when we recognize the beauty in something,” writer Penelope Michler observed. I discovered this quote in Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book, Romancing the Ordinary. Breathnach herself continued, “Today recognize one moment of exquisite beauty in your own daily round. Notice it, rejoice in it, and give thanks.”
 
What was your moment of beauty today?

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6 comments

  1. TimareeDecember 3, 2010 at 6:03 PM

    I tried to get bouganvillea to grow where I live but we get too cold at night in the winter for it. I love that plant.

    A bit of beauty in my day today was looking at my German Shorthair Pointer as I was walking back to the house from the goat pen. She was sitting so erect and pretty, waiting for me and I thought how pretty she is and how lucky I am!

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  2. Kathy A. JohnsonDecember 4, 2010 at 8:38 AM

    Timaree--Wonderful! I think when we're able to see the beauty around us, it does have that effect: we feel how lucky we are. I can clearly picture your moment of beauty and how your spirits lifted just from seeing your pretty dog waiting for you. :)

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  3. MeredithDecember 7, 2010 at 3:32 PM

    What a lovely, lovely post, Kathy! Today my moment of beauty was seeing the remaining blossoms of the pineapple sage, tiny tubes flattened by the frost last night, but still flapping their scarlet banners in the afternoon breeze -- a last gasp of summer color here.

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  4. Kathy A. JohnsonDecember 7, 2010 at 3:40 PM

    Thank you, Meredith! Those last little touches of color really stand out, don't they?

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  5. KellyDecember 11, 2010 at 10:52 PM

    ...lovely post. I always look for the beauty in everyday things. Of course...nature offers beauty at every turn--even in the cold, grey weather of winter, I can usually find beauty somewhere. I'll have to look into Romancing the Ordinary...I like the title!

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  6. Kathy A. JohnsonDecember 12, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    Kelly--I'm not surprised that you look for beauty every day. I think your blog reflects that attitude. Romancing the Ordinary has some nice reflections in it--though I didn't like it as much as I liked Simple Abundance.

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