Opening to Beauty - Rod MacIver

Of the challenges of life
Which are many, which we all have
Those inevitable just by virtue
Of being alive
And those that are self-imposed
Unnecessary but no less real
One of the most important
But easiest to avoid
Is seeing beauty.

It's a practice, like Buddhism or Yoga
Except that you are focused outwardly.
There are days I've walked through a field of wildflowers
Through forests of huge hemlock trees
Barely noticing, absorbed by some problem or other
Some painting not going well
Some piece of writing not coming together.

When I open my heart to beauty
Submerge myself in it
Turn my thought processes over to beauty
I get immediate perspective
On all the other things going on in my life
Which are truly important,
And which are trivial, meaningless, pointless.

Living in the woods
Surrounded by nature all day long
In a multitude of forms: sounds,smells, sights
You can come to accept beauty as normal
Take beauty for granted
It doesn't complain.

Beauty offers itself to us
Without price
Other than the price of paying attention
Focus, open heart, time.

Rod MacIver
Artist and Writer
Heron Dance Art Studio

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Photo - Mystic Meandering