To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Bible says to take the precious from the vile. There are many awful things that happen in the world, but there is so much that is good, I sometimes wonder if it is possible to miss happiness just through the habit of seeing the negatives so sharply and the positives so peripherally. It certainly colors ones relationships.
Harmony is more than a beautiful concept, it is something that truly refreshes and relaxes us. I think God responds the same way to us, when we seek peace and try to live in harmony , even when we struggle to get there. Concentrating on what we find good in the world is a start, developing the habit of finding good in the people around us is the next step, and then becoming a well of that attitude could not only be a resource of happiness and contentment for our own life, but an inspiration to others. How could it not work that way?
I am thinking today of the garden of the mind, and cultivating it with new beautiful thoughts. Some of those are seeded today and some dug from the past. I am thinking of making room for the better and more productive fruits by clearing the way with gratefulness. Gratefulness takes a little time, but it has a way of weeding out the worries and the resentments and all the other clutter that would take over. Sometimes we can’t so much weed our garden as cultivate the good planting. Taking the precious from life, meditating on it, giving it time, sometimes is a simple as smiling at an acquaintance… As saying a cheery good morning to those in your household. As being in a sea of becoming.
~~~~~~~Why Beauty Is Important~~~~~~~
