Noticing the Beauty Around Me
I am trying to be a happier person these days- more appreciative and less pessimistic. So I am intentionally putting effort into noticing the beauty of the world around me.
A few days ago, I was at the park. I was by myself and laid down a blanket under the shade of a large tree. It is very hot right now, so I had a frozen water bottle with me that I sipped on as it slowly warmed, as well as a book. I intentionally put the book down occasionally to look around. Here is what I saw:
- A butterfly
- An old couple holding hands- the woman walked with a cane and the man wore pants that went up to his chest
- A young boy falling off his bicycle then immediately running to his mom
- A dragonfly as big as my finger
- A young girl being amazed at how high her dad could kick a soccer ball
- A couple on a picnic blanket opening a bottle of sparkling wine together
- A pair of Red Cross workers eating lunch on a bench
- A young man on an electric skateboard holding a banana peel in his back hand so that it was flapping in the wind like a flag at the back of a ship
There were a lot of beautiful moments happening around me when I looked up. I am just typically too engrossed in whatever I am doing personally to notice anyone else. But here I am, trying to make time to slowly contemplate the world around me.
I Am Not the Only One Who Found Peace & Freedom
While I was sitting there, I noticed an old man slowly walking in my direction. Each of his hands gripped tightly to a forearm crutch as he took his cautious steps. He sat gingerly beneath the shade of a nearby tree with his back resting against the tree’s trunk. He set his canes aside, took off his hat, and people watched. I wonder if he was watching me like I was watching him.
After a while, he pulled out a book and glasses. Now, without the burden of movement or balance, and with his glasses and a book in hand, he seemed to come alive. He looked 20 years younger than the man who had slowly and carefully walked up to that tree. He looked alert and inquisitive about whatever he was reading.
Perhaps that is what I am searching for in this Book Reading Challenge; to find new energy between the pages of a book. I am not old, but I feel like I am in my body and soul. I want to transform myself just as the old man transformed.
After a while, he got up. He slowly walked away and stopped again at a nearby bench. Perhaps he needed a break from walking after this short distance or wanted to do some more people watching, but from a different vantage point. Who knows. But I am glad that I noticed all of these things during my day at the park. When I did so, I found that I wasn’t the only one searching for transformation in stillness.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on Aug. 1, 2025)