Note to Self

"Hyacinths to Feed thy Soul"

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

(Attributed to Gulistan of Moslih Eddin Saadi, some Mohammedan sheik who lived a really long time ago.)

A more practical sort might scoff at this idea, but I totally get it. We need beauty in our lives just as much as we need food and water. (Well, maybe not just as much, but pretty close.) Praise God for the beauty He has surrounded us with in nature! People's lives today stay on fast forward. No one has time to just be, to literally stop and smell the roses. We rush here, there, and everywhere and occasionally think about the lovely day, or the rainy day, or the cold or hot day. Our enjoyment of nature is stunted, limited to a mere consideration of the weather for practical purposes. If nothing else, step outside, or poke your head out of a window, and look up. Look at the blue of the sky, the clouds. Even if it's dreary out, notice the shades of gray in the sky. Have you ever thought about how lovely gray can be? The color gray gets a bum rap, I think. If you can't go outside, bring nature inside. Put some flowers in the window or on the table. Gather some interesting rocks or acorns in a bowl. Arrange some twigs in a lovely vase. Tie bows to the twigs! I'm getting a bit carried away.

My point is that I believe we all need to be reminded of the importance of purposefully incorporating beauty into our lives. Enjoying nature is one of the best ways I know to do just that. After all, God's canvas, His creation, sets the bar for all things beautiful.