It has always been important to me to be surrounded by beautiful things, or at least things that are pleasing to the eye. Of course, I agree with all the posts about the beauty of nature, and I enjoy them to the max. But I spend a lot of time in my house, so I try to make sure the everyday things are pretty to look at. A few examples: coffee cups and place mats that are Mondrian designs from the Metropolitan Museum; a collection of various house plants, including a couple of blooming orchids; gorgeous mahogany dining room furniture from my grandmother, who also loved beautiful things; a collection of figurines; a lovely Japanese doll given to us by a neighbor when they moved (apparently that’s a Japanese custom); an amazing bed quilt handmade by the women of our church that we won in a fund-raising raffle; an engagement calendar with pictures of artifacts from the Smithsonian. You get the idea. It’s neither expensive nor time-c0nsuming. Sometimes just picking up the clutter and folding the towels neatly makes the place easier on the eyes.
I have actually been doing more of this lately. I have never noticed that some ferns turn gold in the Fall or noticed the pine tree needles changing color too before they fall off. I noticed this when I was in Scotland and then came home to notice it here to : ) Thank you Grateful.org for allowing me to be more aware of such beauty! Fall colors happen so fast we need to pause and see. It is incredibly beautiful colors right now.
I can make more space in my life for beauty by appreciating my own… self confidence is something I have struggled with in the past and just int terms of my own self love journey I am learning how to admire my uniqueness in more situations. I know I stand out but we can all stand out in our own way which I am learning is enough.
I don’t need to make space in my life for beauty….I just need to be aware and get outside and enjoy it! Right now it is beautiful in Central, WV…the leaves are brilliant and the weather has been famous!! Unfortunately, I have come down with bronchitis….coughing and coughing. I am sure it is due to my seasonal allergies…However; I am very blessed to have a home…where we do not need curtains, or drapes….I can just look out my big windows and see the wonderful sun shine on the ever changing leaves. How beautiful!!
Instead of focusing on all the bad news of today, I can look at the beautiful leaves turning in my neighborhood. Yellow, red and orange, it is really a spectacular scene!
So many thoughtful responses!
This is an easy one for me because of the newness of the beauty all around me. I don’t really have to consciously “make space” because it’s here everyday. After the first 65 years of my life on the East Coast, we now live in the western US in Colorado….a completely different landscape. My husband and I take frequent short road trips to nearby mountain towns and to southern Colorado which is simply breathtaking (we live in a suburb of Denver because we moved here to be near our daughters) We have explored even further to New Mexico and Arizona, Wyoming and Montana. I say “Oh wow” constantly when we are driving!! I can’t overemphasize the complete and total awe that I experience on these adventures.
In between adventures, from our home we have a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains as our backdrop. And as an avid birder I’ve been thrilled by the new species I have added to my list….birds that I never saw on the east coast. Magpies, Mountain Bluebirds, Bullocks Oriole, Western Meadowlark, and on one glorious morning a Great Horned Owl visited our backyard where she and I commenced having a staring contest!! Oh the thrill of that encounter!
My fascination and gratitude for the beauty of this (most-likely) last stop on our life journey is a gift I hope I never take for granted.
~Have a blessed Tuesday everyone 🙏
Your new homeland sounds quite beautiful, Diane. I have seen those areas only on TV or in movies, but even then found great appreciation for that area of the country. Blessings, my Friend!
I am caught on the words “more space”. I will say, “how can I be more fully aware of the beauty in my life.” Right now my husband is meeting some medical issues. I need/want to be aware of the beauty around us. Yesterday I had someone dug up our garden plots. At one point I looked past him and there was a magnificent rainbow. The space was outside and interrupting a conversation was beauty in my life.
I live near a large park with forest and a shoreline on the bay at the south end of Puget Sound. I make time several times in every day to go for a brief walk outside and get away from my computer screen. The big-leaf maples are dropping their leaves and yes, they ARE big leaves. Yesterday I walked in a shower of falling pine needles that glittered with gold in the sunshine as they fell thanks to the wind that swirled the leaves on the ground. At the main entrance to the park flowers are still blooming in shockingly bright tones of fuchsia, pink and coral. The beauty is there when I make space in time to connect with it.
A poem for you, one of the ones for this date on AYearOfBeingHere.com:
“I Could Care Less”
Hannah Stephenson
I could care less,
I could,
but instead, I care
so much,
so phenomenally.
It happens
when we look, this
mountain
range-sized adoration
welling up
inside us in response
to all that
is present alongside
us, and all
that existed before
the human
thumb squeezed
the top of
the common era’s
stopwatch.
The seven holes in our
heads help
us to take in what we
can of the
ever-altering wilderness
here for us,
with us. How is this not
collaboration.
Since I am pretty much in the house these days, and because of my fall recently, I am spending more time than ever paying attention to the area in my backyard. Thus I am watching Autumn move into its many changes right outside. The greenery has become multi-colored. The squirrels are joyful at the acorns falling out there … they don’t have to work so hard for that. They grab what is before them, tuck the acorns in their teeth, and run like crazy to multiply their stash out of sight. It is fun to watch. Various birds that don’t regularly stop by are visiting a lot. This is my favorite season … it feels like such a gift. Autumn Blessings to all of you!
Good morning Pilgrim. We are having the loveliest Autumn here in our new environment. I’m so grateful to still be in a state that has all 4 seasons! Curiously, we are not visited by any squirrels in our community. Back in NJ they were daily, frequent visitors who found inventive ways to raid our bird feeders! My husband was constantly chasing them away…haha. But they were relentless! Like you, I thought they were very entertaining!
My prayers for your continued healing from your fall dear friend. Om Shanti 🙏
Wake up with beautiful memories that I have with my loved ones, fill my heart with forgiveness and forget the negative impressions about someone that I had yesterday. Equally important, saying kind words in honesty and from my heart. That’s mean I don’t always say nicely, however, I speak it with all my heart. These are how I make more space for beaty in my life.
By slowing down, taking a breath,
adjusting my attitude, and remembering
how lucky I am.
There is still magic in my life. I just
have to be present to see it. The
small moments of exquisite timing.
The ability to sense it all.
It’s all here for me, when I open my
eyes with gratitude.
Thank you for this reminder 🙏
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It has always been important to me to be surrounded by beautiful things, or at least things that are pleasing to the eye. Of course, I agree with all the posts about the beauty of nature, and I enjoy them to the max. But I spend a lot of time in my house, so I try to make sure the everyday things are pretty to look at. A few examples: coffee cups and place mats that are Mondrian designs from the Metropolitan Museum; a collection of various house plants, including a couple of blooming orchids; gorgeous mahogany dining room furniture from my grandmother, who also loved beautiful things; a collection of figurines; a lovely Japanese doll given to us by a neighbor when they moved (apparently that’s a Japanese custom); an amazing bed quilt handmade by the women of our church that we won in a fund-raising raffle; an engagement calendar with pictures of artifacts from the Smithsonian. You get the idea. It’s neither expensive nor time-c0nsuming. Sometimes just picking up the clutter and folding the towels neatly makes the place easier on the eyes.
I have actually been doing more of this lately. I have never noticed that some ferns turn gold in the Fall or noticed the pine tree needles changing color too before they fall off. I noticed this when I was in Scotland and then came home to notice it here to : ) Thank you Grateful.org for allowing me to be more aware of such beauty! Fall colors happen so fast we need to pause and see. It is incredibly beautiful colors right now.
I can make more space in my life for beauty by appreciating my own… self confidence is something I have struggled with in the past and just int terms of my own self love journey I am learning how to admire my uniqueness in more situations. I know I stand out but we can all stand out in our own way which I am learning is enough.
I don’t need to make space in my life for beauty….I just need to be aware and get outside and enjoy it! Right now it is beautiful in Central, WV…the leaves are brilliant and the weather has been famous!! Unfortunately, I have come down with bronchitis….coughing and coughing. I am sure it is due to my seasonal allergies…However; I am very blessed to have a home…where we do not need curtains, or drapes….I can just look out my big windows and see the wonderful sun shine on the ever changing leaves. How beautiful!!
Hope your cough runs its course quickly Nanette.
Pull the weeds and plant the flowers.
Getting outside, being curious, looking for it.
I am surrounded by beauty here in Northern California. I must stay present in order to see it, enjoy & honor it. I am blessed.
Stop, look & go.
Instead of focusing on all the bad news of today, I can look at the beautiful leaves turning in my neighborhood. Yellow, red and orange, it is really a spectacular scene!
So many thoughtful responses!
This is an easy one for me because of the newness of the beauty all around me. I don’t really have to consciously “make space” because it’s here everyday. After the first 65 years of my life on the East Coast, we now live in the western US in Colorado….a completely different landscape. My husband and I take frequent short road trips to nearby mountain towns and to southern Colorado which is simply breathtaking (we live in a suburb of Denver because we moved here to be near our daughters) We have explored even further to New Mexico and Arizona, Wyoming and Montana. I say “Oh wow” constantly when we are driving!! I can’t overemphasize the complete and total awe that I experience on these adventures.
In between adventures, from our home we have a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains as our backdrop. And as an avid birder I’ve been thrilled by the new species I have added to my list….birds that I never saw on the east coast. Magpies, Mountain Bluebirds, Bullocks Oriole, Western Meadowlark, and on one glorious morning a Great Horned Owl visited our backyard where she and I commenced having a staring contest!! Oh the thrill of that encounter!
My fascination and gratitude for the beauty of this (most-likely) last stop on our life journey is a gift I hope I never take for granted.
~Have a blessed Tuesday everyone 🙏
Sounds absolutely beautiful too!
Your new homeland sounds quite beautiful, Diane. I have seen those areas only on TV or in movies, but even then found great appreciation for that area of the country. Blessings, my Friend!
I am caught on the words “more space”. I will say, “how can I be more fully aware of the beauty in my life.” Right now my husband is meeting some medical issues. I need/want to be aware of the beauty around us. Yesterday I had someone dug up our garden plots. At one point I looked past him and there was a magnificent rainbow. The space was outside and interrupting a conversation was beauty in my life.
I live near a large park with forest and a shoreline on the bay at the south end of Puget Sound. I make time several times in every day to go for a brief walk outside and get away from my computer screen. The big-leaf maples are dropping their leaves and yes, they ARE big leaves. Yesterday I walked in a shower of falling pine needles that glittered with gold in the sunshine as they fell thanks to the wind that swirled the leaves on the ground. At the main entrance to the park flowers are still blooming in shockingly bright tones of fuchsia, pink and coral. The beauty is there when I make space in time to connect with it.
A poem for you, one of the ones for this date on AYearOfBeingHere.com:
“I Could Care Less”
Hannah Stephenson
I could care less,
I could,
but instead, I care
so much,
so phenomenally.
It happens
when we look, this
mountain
range-sized adoration
welling up
inside us in response
to all that
is present alongside
us, and all
that existed before
the human
thumb squeezed
the top of
the common era’s
stopwatch.
The seven holes in our
heads help
us to take in what we
can of the
ever-altering wilderness
here for us,
with us. How is this not
collaboration.
https://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2014/10/hannah-stephenson-i-could-care-less.html
Seven holes in my head! I had to stop and count. They represent the senses also. Pretty cool.
I did the same thing and was glad none were leaking!
Since I am pretty much in the house these days, and because of my fall recently, I am spending more time than ever paying attention to the area in my backyard. Thus I am watching Autumn move into its many changes right outside. The greenery has become multi-colored. The squirrels are joyful at the acorns falling out there … they don’t have to work so hard for that. They grab what is before them, tuck the acorns in their teeth, and run like crazy to multiply their stash out of sight. It is fun to watch. Various birds that don’t regularly stop by are visiting a lot. This is my favorite season … it feels like such a gift. Autumn Blessings to all of you!
Good morning Pilgrim. We are having the loveliest Autumn here in our new environment. I’m so grateful to still be in a state that has all 4 seasons! Curiously, we are not visited by any squirrels in our community. Back in NJ they were daily, frequent visitors who found inventive ways to raid our bird feeders! My husband was constantly chasing them away…haha. But they were relentless! Like you, I thought they were very entertaining!
My prayers for your continued healing from your fall dear friend. Om Shanti 🙏
Wake up with beautiful memories that I have with my loved ones, fill my heart with forgiveness and forget the negative impressions about someone that I had yesterday. Equally important, saying kind words in honesty and from my heart. That’s mean I don’t always say nicely, however, I speak it with all my heart. These are how I make more space for beaty in my life.
By slowing down, taking a breath,
adjusting my attitude, and remembering
how lucky I am.
There is still magic in my life. I just
have to be present to see it. The
small moments of exquisite timing.
The ability to sense it all.
It’s all here for me, when I open my
eyes with gratitude.
Thank you for this reminder 🙏
Like others have mentioned, staying present helps us to see the beauty that is already all around us.