How beautiful is your life?
A Google search on the definition of beautiful will lead you to this, “pleasing the sense or mind aesthetically” (Dictionary.com). I live in a small city where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. On any given day, I can see the still water, geese, beautiful trees and flowers, and an impressive lighthouse and, yes, it is beautiful. But for today’s purpose, I am defining beauty more broadly. Let me give you some examples.
Today is the third day of non-stop rain where I live, and I was fortunate to have my daughter and grandchildren with us for a few days. However, with the rain, we could not get outside and as a result, had some whining and crying going on. What did we do? Played some dance music really loud and had a dance party! The laughing was non-stop, smiles were on all of our faces and the whining and crying stopped if only temporarily! That is beauty.
My house is situated on a small city lot, and we have essentially no front yard. The backyard is currently a giant mud pit due to an incomplete landscaping project and three days of rain and was not even remotely “Easter Egg Hunt” ready. My neighbor on the other hand has a beautiful yard filled with flowers, hedges, and trees. She graciously allowed us to use her yard for our Easter Egg Hunt. That is beauty.
I am on a committee for a local organization that holds an annual fashion show the proceeds from which support non-profit service agencies. This group of women met last night to plan the event with a keen focus on increasing our profit to increase our gifts to the community. We then shared a glass of wine, sharing stories of work and family. That is beauty.
But we don’t always see or recognize the beauty in our lives. In my senior year of college, I sat for the CPA exam. Back in the day, you took all parts of the exam at one time, in three consecutive days. Studying was a heavy lift and I probably spent 8 hours a day in the library studying. It was a stressful and anxious time. I remember like it was yesterday, returning from taking the exam and being amazed by the beautiful trees on campus that had bloomed with pink flowers. What if I had taken the time leading up to the exam to look up and see those beautiful trees? I am positive that my stress and anxiety would have lessened, if even for a short period.
How beautiful is your life?