Sunday, November 3, 2013
Day Three
It's been said that all we need to do to find beauty in the world is to step out our front door. Today, the practice is about appreciating beauty through nature. Maybe notice what's present in a front or backyard, the beauty of the turning leaves on your street, the beauty of a walk in the park, or a hike along a trail. To make this an intentional gratitude practice, see if you can really notice one aspect of the beauty in nature: a particular small, sight, sound, or sensation or a combo of these.
When you've noticed what you're grateful for in this natural beauty, please take some time to share it through writing in a "gratitude journal"--could be a traditional journal, could be on your computer or smartphone, could be in the comments section on the blog-- about what beauty you're appreciating, and how it makes you grateful. We'll be returning to our "gratitude journals" in other practices throughout the month.
May you enjoy the wondrous beauty of this season!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm grateful to live in this climate and to have the chance to experience the ways in which nature is a dynamic backdrop... when I was growing up in New England I took it for granted. I would look up after a summer and see that everything was colorful, or that green things grew in the spring and summer... but I didn't watch it carefully, I didn't "see" it happen. Now I try to notice and point out every little shift.. the first leave that changes on the first tree, the way the colors blend in the fall, contrast each other in the winter, and the timing of the plants in the spring until they are all growing lush around us.
ReplyDeleteThis fall I have really noticed the ways in which my summer garden turned to a fall garden. In past years I didn't know enough about gardening and I just pulled everything up in the fall... but as I learn about the earth and the needs of my plants, I know I can create beauty all season and even into the winter. My garden is tiny, but it's a place of pure peace for me...
My first thought when I read this entry was that nature isn't really on my happy list right now. My lawn and driveway are clogged with leaves that we are unable to remove because they are wet and soggy and the past few days they have really been getting on my nerves (especially since, in my usual refusal to accept the arrival of cold weather, I am still walking around barefoot and wet soggy leaves do not feel good on your bare feet). Then I walked outside, where I found my husband and son huddled around the firepit, watching in anticipation to see if the sparks my husband was flicking into it would result in a flame. As I sat admiring my husband's dogged persistence, and my son's rapt attention to the process, I suddenly had a new appreciation for these dead things: the dead grass and leaves that would (hopefully) eventually catch fire, and the dead trees that would keep the fire going. Even the dead soggy leaves took on a new life as I thought about how over the winter they would break down and return to the soil to nourish the new life that would arrive in the spring. I still want them out of my driveway, but I also feel a sense of gratitude for their presence and their purpose.
ReplyDeleteOk this is my 4th attempt at posting...I'll just be grateful if I can get this uploaded! My reason for joining is to make daily my appreciation of all the beauty in the world and in people.
ReplyDeleteToday I packed the camera before going to church, and after the new member lunch I headed over to Valley Forge to take more pictures. I did get into some macro photography, studying a small daisy rather intensely, again on my belly in the middle of the park... but at least this time I remembered to wear pants. Ok, that sounded worse than I intended.... usually I wear skirts because they are more comfortable. But what really caught my eye was not the things down low on the ground, but the way the landscape framed a dried thistle. I think this is how I want to remember the day that I joined Wellsprings http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/307/a/9/thistle_view_by_giovedistorm_shade-d6sxfqc.jpg
ReplyDeleteTonight I just sat on my back porch and enjoyed the cool, dark night. Our porch light blew and we haven't replaced it yet, and I was glad for that tonight. It allowed me to just sit and enjoy the night sky...filled with stars. Sitting there staring up at the sky made me realize how much time I used to spend looking at the stars when I was younger. It's amazing how the wonder returns so easily. For that I am grateful.....
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things about the fall is the changing of the leaves. My vision even with my classes is only about 20/60. This means that I have a hard time seeing the details in things. The beauty in the fall though is that the colors on an individual leaf melt add to the colors of the leaf next to it and so on until there is a vibrant work of art overhead. In the fall, in particular, I appreciate the gift of sight and the beauty of nature around me. Today (and in the past few days), I have found myself admiring the various shades of red that I see all over. There are some bushes that take on this gorgeous red color this time of year and I feel like I smile each time I see a bush showing off its vibrant potential. Also, I particularly enjoying my son's experience of nature. We'll go out for a walk and he's constantly pointing up to the birds and things he sees in the sky. Knowing he is paying attention helps me to pay closer attention too.
ReplyDeleteOn my walk with dog this morning I took in the forms of nature that surrounded me. One thing that has me remaining on the east coast is the changing of the seasons. I am so in love with everything about trees. Today, as I walked, I watched as their leaves blew in the wind and how they bend and creak with the changing of the seasons. Their colors change, and they adapt with their surroundings. As does the wildlife that live within and around them. I watched as squirrels gathered nuts in preparation of the upcoming winter. I watched as spiders brought in their webs and huddled for warmth in the upper crevices of my porch, and the final life span of the last remaining bees scurry to where they must go. It reminds me of my life. That each day cannot be planned because it changes. I should live more in the moment and learn how to adapt like the trees. I should listen to the wind and how it rustles in the wind, this will assist in calming my own inner negative chatter ( a more calmer voice will step in). As the squirrel collects food for winter, I prepare to eat only what I need to eat. Being mindful of the food I put in my mouth, that which will nourish me. Just taking what I need, not over indulging. Going forward I will remind myself to allow myself to bend and adapt like the trees, gather and prepare like the squirrel and allow the wind to release the negativity I may hold onto that needs to be let go of so that new growth can emerge. Was a good day to reflect, prepare and learn from nature.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and yours,
Tiffany
I made it a priority to get outside and experience the fall colors today. Being outdoors helps me reconnect to my true self.
ReplyDeletehttps://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1456654_10152100867156874_1974523926_n.jpg
ReplyDeleteWhat a startlingly beautiful red tree! Thank for sharing, JEA.
ReplyDeleteRight now I am in a place that has no deciduous trees - and even if it did, they would be green a lot longer. What Orizaba, Veracruz does have is very wet weather: frequent cloudbursts complete with thunder and lightning. I love the sound of rain and the power of lightning and thunder and wind. Mother Nature can be cruel, and there many flooded places in the country right now but not here. So I will watch the awnings above my window sway and listen to Thor's hammer and be grateful to be cozily indoors.
(From Ken) Yesterday I left the house as the sun was rising and got home just before it was setting. A long day, a good day, but spent mostly inside. Walks outside were between the doors of my car and the doors of whatever building I was entering. Two charged full worship services in the morning, with new member welcome, and then the new member welcome lunch, both joyous events, both focused on beginnings. And then a long drive, through a countryside painted by autumn glory (like Caryn's photo), to a rehab hospital to visit someone who's healing. And, while there, witnessing many people for whom this place would be their last stop on earth. Walking back to my car, with the shadows starting to grow long, I saw a tree nearby just like JEA's. There are some beautiful ways that nature demonstrates dying. I was grateful for that reminder during a day when I felt like I was all forward momentum.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I was having a busy day. I ate my breakfast and my lunch at my desk and I barely tasted anything. The result was terrible heartburn. I stopped what I was doing and went outside for a short but invigorating walk. I took the time to breathe. Really breathe in the crisp fall air. After about 15 minutes of deep breathing and walking I started to feel better. I made my way back to work and reaped the benefits of my walk for the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteNice article and thanks for the sharing information about beauty.
ReplyDeleteGratitude