Seeking Beauty

In the last year, the year of the pandemic, I have tried to take a walk every day. I prefer to walk in the woods or by water as I find walking in such settings refreshes my soul. There is so much beauty, and I often think of lyrics from a song by Rich Mullins: “There is so much beauty around us, but just two eyes to see, and everywhere I go, I’m looking.” Sometimes the beauty is obvious, but sometimes we need to look for it. Perhaps you’re not near woods or water, but maybe a neighbour has some pretty flowers. And no matter where you live, there are always sunrises and sunsets. I believe it’s helpful to our well-being to look for and appreciate the beauty.

There is beauty in people. Sometimes it’s hard to see. I have found that the last years have been years of increasing division and polarization, with people of one view having disdain and contempt for those with a different view. We are forgetting that we are all human beings with similar needs and desires such as wanting to live in peace, be in good community with love and acceptance. Everyone has the same needs, although we have different ideas or beliefs on how to get there.

But what if, instead of looking down on people who are different from us, we looked for the beauty in them? I believe if we look for that beauty, we will find it.

What if we made it a point each and every day to look for beauty in our friends and family; yes, but in others as well and actually told them what we see?

I think it would be life changing both for us, as well as for the people we speak to.

Let’s look for the beauty in our neigbours, in the person ahead of us in the grocery store, in the cashier. And when we find something, let’s tell them. Let’s go one step further and dare to look for the beauty in people with opposite political views from ours. And then let’s tell them!

I would love to hear about your interactions! Feel free to come back here and comment.