Beauty
Beauty goes beyond what simply looks or sounds pleasing - it's about experiencing harmony, meaning, and wonder in the world around us. When we pay attention to beauty, we connect with something larger than ourselves, whether in nature, art, relationships, or even in how we navigate difficulties. Beauty awakens us to what makes life worth living and helps us see possibilities we might otherwise miss.
Beauty in Every Day Life: Personal Stories
These stories share moments when beauty caught me by surprise and changed how I see the world. They're not grand adventures or extraordinary events—just everyday encounters that somehow touched something deeper. I share them not because they're unique, but because they remind us how beauty appears in unexpected places when we're willing to notice. Perhaps they'll help you recall similar moments in your own life when beauty stopped you in your tracks and reminded you what it means to be fully alive.
The Power of Music
My Barbie Story
Here are some everyday ways to bring more beauty into your life:
→ Take a moment to truly see - Instead of just looking, really see what's around you. Pause for 20 seconds to notice colors, shapes, and light in ordinary scenes—the way sunlight filters through leaves, how shadows play across a wall, or the intricate pattern in something as simple as the steam rising from your coffee.
→ Listen more deeply - Whether it's music, conversation, or natural sounds, practice hearing beyond the surface. Notice the layered instruments in a favorite song, the unique timbre in a loved one's voice, or the rhythm of rainfall against different surfaces.
→ Create small moments of order - Arrange objects on your desk with intention, take time to plate a simple meal beautifully, or organize a small corner of your home. These small acts of creating harmony can bring surprising satisfaction.
→ Seek beauty in transitions - Dawn, dusk, seasonal changes, and life transitions all contain their own unique beauty. These in-between spaces often reveal colors, emotions, and insights that more settled times conceal.
→ Connect with nature, even in small ways - Touch the bark of a tree, observe an insect's movements, or place a small plant where you'll see it daily. Nature offers endless lessons in both intricate details and breathtaking scale.
→ Express appreciation - When something strikes you as beautiful—whether a stranger's kind gesture, a child's drawing, or a well-designed everyday object—take a moment to acknowledge it. Spoken appreciation amplifies beauty for both the giver and receiver.
→ Create something, anything - You don't need artistic talent to create beauty. Arrange flowers, write a simple note, cook with colorful ingredients, or simply rearrange objects in your space. The act of creation connects us to beauty in profound ways.
→ Seek beauty in unexpected places - Look for beauty in aging, in imperfection, in difficulty. The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi celebrates the beauty of impermanence and incompleteness—the crack in the mug, the weathered fence, the patina of use.
→ Share beauty with others - Point out a vibrant sunset to someone nearby, send a photo of something beautiful you encountered, or simply describe something that moved you. Beauty multiplies when shared.
→ Collect beauty in your memory - At day's end, recall one beautiful thing you experienced. This simple practice trains your mind to notice beauty more readily and creates a reservoir of beautiful moments you can revisit.
Beauty isn't separate from everyday life—it's woven into it, waiting to be noticed. These small practices don't require extra time or resources; they simply invite us to experience what's already there in new ways.
Caught in Wonder: The Beauty Around Us
These stories are examples I've found that illustrate how finding and living truth in everyday moments, begins a shift toward greater honesty and can give us a broader perspective in our dealings with others.
The Language of Birds: Unexpected Beauty in Perfect Calls
Beauty often surprises us in unexpected moments. In this video, an 11-year-old boy with autism shares his remarkable ability to recreate 50 different bird calls. Watch how his authentic expression of his unique gift creates a moment of collective wonder and appreciation.
Her Morning Elegance
What makes this piece particularly beautiful is how it reveals magic in the mundane. A sweater becomes ocean waves, gloves transform into birds, and pillowcases create billowing clouds. The creativity lies not in expensive special effects, but in seeing the poetic potential of ordinary objects.
The video's success led to a traveling art installation where all 2,096 still frames were displayed as a massive grid. This transformation—from music video to gallery exhibit—shows how beauty migrates across forms, inviting us to appreciate both the flowing movement of the video and the meticulous craft revealed in the individual photographs.
Prelude from J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 (from the Smoky Mountains)
"I’ve spent decades trying to get this piece right. At some point, I found a way in: in the same way that a river begins far before we meet it, I imagine this music starting long before I play the first note; I just have to join it. Like the river, the music is always flowing, and like the river, it’s always changing. All I have to do is picture a river, feel its energy, get into its flow, and follow it." Yo Yo Ma
From Ordinary to Art: Connections with Strangers
A medical biller makes a connection with a stranger by indicating that she noticed and acknowledge her name was Melody on the envelope by simply drawing a few musical notes next to the name. It escalated in the most delightful way, showing us that random acts of beauty can turn strangers into friends.