Dear Friends,
In order to find the beauty in the ordinary we have to go beyond experiencing a person, place or thing purely from our physical senses. In order to experience a deeper understanding and appreciation of the object of our attention we have to engage our higher perceptions and our hearts. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate the physical beauty of a person, place or thing as much as the next person just purely for the physicality of it. However, I would like to challenge myself and others to experience the kind of beauty that goes beyond pure physical appreciation to experience the true essence of the person or experience that is holding our attention. For this reason, I have decided to write a series of blog postings with my observations of beauty in the ordinary I experience on a day to day basis.
Recently, I saw a picture of a baby and a puppy snuggled up together in a baby seat. The baby and puppy were sleeping soundly with the babies arms wrapped around the puppy. Most people would look at that picture and find themselves smiling and most likely saying “awww”…..which is beautiful in and of itself. However, the quality of beauty I would like to embrace from this picture is the qualities of trust, openness, allowing, and love. This might have been the first experience this puppy had with this baby and vice versa. And yet, you can feel that there was absolutely no fear, just pure love! That is the kind of beauty I am wishing to bring to all of you. The kind of beauty the makes you go “whoa”, I didn’t see/feel that coming! Or it might be the kind of feeling that sits quietly in your chest and expands as you watch an older couple holding hands and walking along the street together.
I would like to go even deeper than the above examples. I want to find the beauty in ordinary conversations, ordinary sights, ordinary moments of our lives. I truly believe that as we go deeper into the ordinariness of our lives, we find extraordinary transcended moments. Many people travel around the world looking for these moments and many find them. But for those who cannot travel around the world or perhaps don’t want to, we can find those same incredible experiences right here in our own homes, at work, in the park, or simply by sitting and contemplating and watching the birds.
A couple of weeks ago I went out with a dear friend one Friday evening. We were looking for something to do after dinner and decided to go to the mall nearby where there is music playing every weekend from local entertainers. This particular band we were listening to were playing dance music. There happened to be a group of Down Syndrome adults at the mall, hanging out and having fun. Two of the men from the group broke away to dance, in front of the people watching the band and listening to the music. They were dancing by themselves totally engrossed in their fun. The minute I saw them, I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. My friend was smiling too. I wasn’t laughing at them I was laughing because just watching them filled me with joy.
They were so beautifully in the moment with their dance moves and gyrations. I wanted to get up and dance with them but was too self conscious to do so. These 2 men were the only ones dancing besides a young child about 2 years old, also in his pure joy! Some people look at these folks as being handicapped or disabled in some way. When I looked at these 2 men, all I saw was 2 beings who knew how to have fun! Most of the people in the audience were sitting quietly and not many people were smiling. I pondered on the thought that I was the one handicapped in my inability to follow my own joy. I was the handicapped one still holding back from doing truly what I wanted to do in the moment. How beautiful it was to witness the total lack of selfconsciousness of these beautiful souls. What a gift they were to all of us watching them!
Where have you recently witnessed this kind of heartfelt beauty in an ordinary situation? If you feel inspired to share your own stories of experiencing beauty from your heart, I would love to hear them.
I am so incredibly passionate about this journey with all of you. I look forward to our future conversations as we travel the extraordinary road to discover the heart of beauty in the ordinary!
Namaste my dear beautiful friends,
Rosemary
Dearest Rosemary,
Thank you so much for your message. I think you know a friend of mine. Elizabeth Smith. Upon reading your messages in the past, I am always blown away at how on point you are, with what is going on in my world. This message of your friend and beloved pup, feels as if I wrote it myself. May I ask how your heart is? It has been three weeks since our Bodee left us. 15 years is a long time for a lab,sheppard mix., and like you I have no regrets. Four days before we were forced to surrender him to that C Word, (I won’t say the word…it has taken too many ) he loaded himself into the car and off to the school we went. I have video of him so happy and smiling., you can see the joy in his face. This video shows Bodee walking into an amazing beam of sunlight, that had several streams showering down on him, but he walked thru the broadest part, and it was spectacular. I was so happy that it recorded as magically as it happened.
I have had a “aha” moment, as I am writing to you. First may I say, I was connecting with you, all except feeling between the spaces for him. I was thinking how do I do that? I would also like to note, that I have had splendid validation that he is with the person I told him to go with, on the other side.. So I have a relaxed peace during this grieving time, but it still bites:) Get it? Sorry my bad. As I was typing Bodee’s name, I was wanting to spell his formal name. Bodestapha. I believe it means the keeper of sun and light. Then it dawned on me that he was his name in that final video, as he was everyday. Perhaps he is with me now as I am tearing my way thru this posts. Maybe he crept in to give me that little gift. I think he likes that I carry his collar with me on our walks with his brother Jasper. We have all experienced a lot of change. But it is the only constant as they say.
I will take your words of comfort, and try to stay in the positive and be in the moment. If I have understood you correctly: Be it best to give whatever or whom ever your undivided attention, and do your best by them, so you can celebrate with a “Well done Atta Boy!”
Love and light to you,
May you have much peace and you celebrate your beloved friends.
Suzanne