In front of me, the basil plant, its whole beauty just as it is and in the same time offering it´s leaves for being eaten as a most delicious aromatic food; its need to be watered only from. the bottom of the pot, as it´s stalks would rot when watering the pot from above; reverence arises , and care for its life, and joy about its offering beauty with all it is, a gift of sorts for the taste, a feast for the eyes on a Tomato – Mozzarella salad, while being a plant so delicate, vulnerable and dependent on our care, a gem in its simple fleeting beautiful being.
I slow down to discover the beauty, I hold my breath, search, find and can relax
So space means time
Give myself time to discover beauty
With beauty comes a feeling of security, everything is OK
And yes – my main source of beauty is nature
I have a hard time with people’s craziness, I see the suffering we inflict on each other
Beauty is everywhere if we look for it, and Salma Hayek’s thought for the day perfectly captures this: “People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.”
The other day on a walk with my husband I stopped and took pictures of two bursts of color, late-blooming flowers in bright pinks and lavenders. The flowers weren’t perfect, they hadn’t been airbrushed, bugs had chewed on a few leaves, and none of that mattered. They were beautiful.
I also stopped to appreciate the beauty of two orb-weaver spiderwebs guarding the late blackberries along the road, their creators motionless at the center waiting for the twitch that might mean lunchtime. The webs were invisible until you looked at just the right angle. So much beauty is like that: hiding in plain sight, waiting to be recognized.
I’ll also put in a good word for the “unbeautiful”, the things that are lumpy and bumpy and don’t align with US society’s impossible beauty standards that reflect a lot of power dynamics. They need to be appreciated for qualities that may not fit a definition of beauty and that add to the beautiful tapestry that is our world.
When I stop to appreciate beauty my breathing becomes slower and deeper.
The muscles in my body relax.
My heart softens and opens,
and I feel the joy of gratefulness.
Being alive feels good, and hope is awakened.
It’s as easy as looking out the window, with the intention to see.
At home I will see sky, trees, bushes, plants, birds, lizards, wasps, and butterflies.
Outside almost any window, I will see the sky,
and I wonder at how it can be so beautiful, yet different every day.
Even when I ignore everything else, I almost always see the sky.
I would like to make a ritual of stepping outside every morning and evening.
What better way to start and end my day?
Thanks for this beautiful question!☀️☀️☀️
I take a silent walk every morning around my neighborhood, observing and appreciating the natural beauty around me. If I come across something that catches my eye, I’ll take a photo. It can be something as simple as moss on a tree trunk or a new bird species…I walk a pretty slow pace and pay attention to the sights and sounds of my surroundings. Making space for this has definitely contributed to the improvement of my overall well being.
When I look for beauty, I find it. When I choose to be love, I find I am loved. I am coming to the conclusion that we have to be what we want the most and I find that a beautiful thought. As today’s quote says, “…beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
Author Richard Rodriquez tells the story of his visit to San Quentin Prison with Mother Teresa: I once was with her in San Quentin Prison. It was the most remarkable afternoon I can remember, religiously. There was a group of thugs, she was supposed to meet these guys from death row, and they were all like schoolboys. This tiny little woman, you know, four foot tall or something, in her sari. She tells them in that little tiny voice that if you want to see the face of God, look at the prisoner standing next to you. These tattoos coming up over their necks: look at the man next to you. This man who has murdered and raped: that’s the face of God. An I think, I didn’t know that. I didn’t know. I been looking at the holy picture all this time when I should look more closely at the face of the sinner to find the face of God.
We are all sinners in some way. We have all missed the mark. But, what if when we look at each other, we saw the face of God. Might a beautiful world manifest?
Once again, Carol, your response reminded me of a spiritual concept
that I had completely forgotten about.
Be the love.
Not just be loving, but to actually be the love!!!
Thank you!
The second part of your response, challenges me.
Mother Teresa said to find the face of God in the murderer, the rapist.
I see the face of God in the homeless, the drug addict, the mentally ill.
That’s easy.
But to see the face of God in those I see as hateful,
those who victimize and terrorize.
That’s a lot.
Something for me to ponder.
Thank you!
I live in a beautiful place, so this is kind
of easy for me. I guess there are people
who live here, that don’t see the beauty
all around them. I guess it’s like anything,
perspective is important. Also, I am always
looking for things to photograph, with my
phone of course 🙂 and that really opens
me up to my surroundings. Colors, light,
geometry, composition, decay, juxtaposition, and just lovely random occurrences.
It is a state of mind though. I certainly
notice that when I’m not doing well, the
beauty around me isn’t as apparent.
When I make space in my daily life for appreciating beauty, I notice myself enjoying every moment and being able to look beyond the surface more effectively.
It’s fortunate! When the moment of appreciating beauty takes place, I notice how fortunate I am for the opportunity to see the beauty of the sky, hear the beauty of birds, smell the beauty of flowers, taste the beauty of home-cooked dishes, and touch the beauty of love in hugging my husband. How fortunate I am! Wishing everyone a peaceful and safe day!
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In front of me, the basil plant, its whole beauty just as it is and in the same time offering it´s leaves for being eaten as a most delicious aromatic food; its need to be watered only from. the bottom of the pot, as it´s stalks would rot when watering the pot from above; reverence arises , and care for its life, and joy about its offering beauty with all it is, a gift of sorts for the taste, a feast for the eyes on a Tomato – Mozzarella salad, while being a plant so delicate, vulnerable and dependent on our care, a gem in its simple fleeting beautiful being.
I slow down to discover the beauty, I hold my breath, search, find and can relax
So space means time
Give myself time to discover beauty
With beauty comes a feeling of security, everything is OK
And yes – my main source of beauty is nature
I have a hard time with people’s craziness, I see the suffering we inflict on each other
Beauty is everywhere if we look for it, and Salma Hayek’s thought for the day perfectly captures this: “People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.”
The other day on a walk with my husband I stopped and took pictures of two bursts of color, late-blooming flowers in bright pinks and lavenders. The flowers weren’t perfect, they hadn’t been airbrushed, bugs had chewed on a few leaves, and none of that mattered. They were beautiful.
I also stopped to appreciate the beauty of two orb-weaver spiderwebs guarding the late blackberries along the road, their creators motionless at the center waiting for the twitch that might mean lunchtime. The webs were invisible until you looked at just the right angle. So much beauty is like that: hiding in plain sight, waiting to be recognized.
I’ll also put in a good word for the “unbeautiful”, the things that are lumpy and bumpy and don’t align with US society’s impossible beauty standards that reflect a lot of power dynamics. They need to be appreciated for qualities that may not fit a definition of beauty and that add to the beautiful tapestry that is our world.
The unexpected beauty encourages me to pause and appreciate the beauty and see more than just that which caught my eye in the first place.
When I stop to appreciate beauty my breathing becomes slower and deeper.
The muscles in my body relax.
My heart softens and opens,
and I feel the joy of gratefulness.
Being alive feels good, and hope is awakened.
It’s as easy as looking out the window, with the intention to see.
At home I will see sky, trees, bushes, plants, birds, lizards, wasps, and butterflies.
Outside almost any window, I will see the sky,
and I wonder at how it can be so beautiful, yet different every day.
Even when I ignore everything else, I almost always see the sky.
I would like to make a ritual of stepping outside every morning and evening.
What better way to start and end my day?
Thanks for this beautiful question!☀️☀️☀️
I take a silent walk every morning around my neighborhood, observing and appreciating the natural beauty around me. If I come across something that catches my eye, I’ll take a photo. It can be something as simple as moss on a tree trunk or a new bird species…I walk a pretty slow pace and pay attention to the sights and sounds of my surroundings. Making space for this has definitely contributed to the improvement of my overall well being.
I took Brady (family dog) out for a walk a little while ago and enjoyed seeing all the beautiful fall foliage starting to appear.
I calm down and enter into a different realm.
When I look for beauty, I find it. When I choose to be love, I find I am loved. I am coming to the conclusion that we have to be what we want the most and I find that a beautiful thought. As today’s quote says, “…beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
Author Richard Rodriquez tells the story of his visit to San Quentin Prison with Mother Teresa: I once was with her in San Quentin Prison. It was the most remarkable afternoon I can remember, religiously. There was a group of thugs, she was supposed to meet these guys from death row, and they were all like schoolboys. This tiny little woman, you know, four foot tall or something, in her sari. She tells them in that little tiny voice that if you want to see the face of God, look at the prisoner standing next to you. These tattoos coming up over their necks: look at the man next to you. This man who has murdered and raped: that’s the face of God. An I think, I didn’t know that. I didn’t know. I been looking at the holy picture all this time when I should look more closely at the face of the sinner to find the face of God.
We are all sinners in some way. We have all missed the mark. But, what if when we look at each other, we saw the face of God. Might a beautiful world manifest?
Joan Osborne asked, “What if God was one of us?” https://youtu.be/aDdOnl0bHO4?si=k39VGfjkCsYGLfw0
Once again, Carol, your response reminded me of a spiritual concept
that I had completely forgotten about.
Be the love.
Not just be loving, but to actually be the love!!!
Thank you!
The second part of your response, challenges me.
Mother Teresa said to find the face of God in the murderer, the rapist.
I see the face of God in the homeless, the drug addict, the mentally ill.
That’s easy.
But to see the face of God in those I see as hateful,
those who victimize and terrorize.
That’s a lot.
Something for me to ponder.
Thank you!
I notice how much beauty there is in color, shape, texture, scent and sheer variety. The abundance is staggering.
I live in a beautiful place, so this is kind
of easy for me. I guess there are people
who live here, that don’t see the beauty
all around them. I guess it’s like anything,
perspective is important. Also, I am always
looking for things to photograph, with my
phone of course 🙂 and that really opens
me up to my surroundings. Colors, light,
geometry, composition, decay, juxtaposition, and just lovely random occurrences.
It is a state of mind though. I certainly
notice that when I’m not doing well, the
beauty around me isn’t as apparent.
I love to take pictures of nature too, Charlie.
This makes it very easy for me to look deeply into nature.
Such a joy!
When I make space in my daily life for appreciating beauty, I notice myself enjoying every moment and being able to look beyond the surface more effectively.
It’s fortunate! When the moment of appreciating beauty takes place, I notice how fortunate I am for the opportunity to see the beauty of the sky, hear the beauty of birds, smell the beauty of flowers, taste the beauty of home-cooked dishes, and touch the beauty of love in hugging my husband. How fortunate I am! Wishing everyone a peaceful and safe day!
My Ngoc, there’s a lot of beauty out there when we get out of our minds.
What I notice about appreciating beauty, is it slows me down. I see and feel things more deeply.
Mary, I notice that in myself too. We live in a very fast-paste society that we miss out on a lot of beauty.
Feelings of joy, peacefulness, happiness, amazement sometimes