Embracing the Beauty We've Missed
A lesson in living into Ikigai
We often take for granted the beauty of this world. It's a peculiarly human trait; the more often we see the things around us, the more they become invisible.
We do this even with the beautiful things: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even the people we love.
I've been driving by the marsh for nearly three decades, usually in a rush on my way to work. Over the years, I’d notice ducks, geese, and even beavers building a dam for a couple of seasons.
Because I saw this so often, I began to see it less and less until I hardly noticed it at all.
Then I quit noticing.
It was raining when I left the house; we'd had nothing but grey days for a week. I'd become accustomed to the grey, so when there was a burst of sunshine as I drove past the marsh something in the distance caught my attention.
A gorgeous rainbow had appeared. That’s it in the picture above.
audio narration by David Marlow
I pulled over and sat there until the rainbow faded. The urgency that prompted my drive faded. All that mattered was to be fully in the moment, embracing the beauty I'd been ignoring.
What didn't fade was my awareness of this spot. Now I'm mindful of it each time I drive by and often stop to soak in a bit of the beauty.
It's a fantastic spot, changing every day.
Part of living into our Ikigai is being present and appreciating the beauty surrounding us.
As you go about your day, think about something or someone beautiful in your life that you haven't 'noticed' for a while and…notice them.
photos by David Marlow
Beautiful. As Mary Oliver remarked: ‘To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.’
"Trigger" has a bad connotation. This here is an example of the best kind of trigger, David. I have several places that I drive past and feel irresponsible if I don't acknowledge them in some way.
There is a large marsh that became protected land as development sprung up around it. The developer obtained permission to install a huge continuous boardwalk around it and into the center. Now it attracts hundreds of people a week, and is a feature of the center of the neighborhood. The unique wildlife and birds that visit are now noticed by many more who used to drive past unknowingly.