Noticing Beauty
A few years ago, I sat by the front window watching the full moon set in the early morning. Our two kids, both under two years old, sat on my lap. They pointed chubby fingers, squealing “oooon, moooon!”
The day of solo parenting stretched out ahead of me, full of messes and unmet needs. My heart was already heavy anticipating feeling inadequate and exhausted. It was a rough time.
And then I let the moon touch me. Awe and joy flooded up through my body. To sit there and watch the moon was enough. Tears washed over me. I felt the same sense of oneness and wonder sitting in my living room as standing on a high Himalayan mountain pass. I’ve come back to that moment over and over. It’s all right here if only I let myself be touched.
To be touched by beauty I need enough space to notice. It doesn’t have to be a glorious full moon. I’m trying to notice small stuff, like how dried grass pushes through the sidewalk or how light shines through icicles hanging off my roof. And not just notice in the “huh, that’s nice,” kind of way. I need to catch myself and pause in order to give beauty a chance to seep through my defenses and busy mind.
In this moment, I’m seeing beauty in the intricate overlay of colour and pattern in the stickers the kids stuck to the kitchen table this morning. I’m seeing beauty in the rainbow cake sprinkles stuck between the floorboards, bright and surprising. I could choose to be annoyed, it’s been weeks of trying to sweep them up. But they are actually really beautiful. I’m letting myself be touched.
So….
My invitation to you is to notice something beautiful today. When beauty catches your eye, STOP. Let your eyes feast. Notice pattern, shape, colour. Relax into receiving what you see for a full minute before moving on to the ‘next.’ If you like what happens, make a practice of noticing beauty for the next few weeks.
A hidden blessing in this practice is building the capacity to orient to our surroundings. Yes, I’m super biased towards the body, it’s the first place I go to get grounded. And yet, sometimes it doesn’t feel good inside our bodies - if we’re activated it’s not soothing in there. Instead, noticing something outside of ourselves can help us settle. It does the same thing for the nervous system as taking a deep breath. See what it does for you.
If you’re in the habit of reflection, (or want to start!) here are some journaling prompts.
What softens in you when you take a moment to soak in some beauty in the day?
What opens up for you about how you relate to others in a day that you consciously notice beauty?
What does noticing beauty do to your sense of feeling connected to something larger?
Be well friends. Enjoy the beauty.
WIth love,
Liz
