Finding Beauty in the ordinary

Note: This blog post article is also posted in the gospel blog by FEBC

The mind is an endlessly fascinating place and when we can train our minds to see beauty in the ordinary, life can become a wondrous journey. Sadly, if we are not careful, we can find ourselves ruminating over all that is wrong in our day to day lives, but when we change the way we filter our world, our lives become joy-centered. Rather than being bored, stressed, and anxious, we can become curious, allowing our hearts to open up and receive daily gifts. Ann Voskamp, who wrote1000 Gifts, challenged her readers to find 1000 gifts in one year by looking for the extraordinary in the ordinary.

After Zach died, I would choose to search for beauty each day, and true to God's nature he revealed gifts to me daily. These small treasures allowed the clouds to part so I could see in colour again. Here are some of my daily treasures during that time:

1. Sun reflecting off water

2. Children's paintings

3. duvet covers

4. Vases filled with flowers

5. Ducks on ponds

6. Sunshine after rain

7. Bees searching for nectar

8. The smell of lilacs

9. Tufts of golden grass blowing in the wind

10. Sweating after a hard workout

11. Waffle ice cream cones

12. Kids with bed-head

13. Hot tea warming my hands on the cup

14. Flowing mountain bike trails

15. Rocks on the bottom of clear ponds

16. BBQ smells in summer

17. Sound of rain through open windows

18. Warm summer nights

The list goes on and on--choose to hunt for beauty in the ordinary so that life becomes the wondrous place it was intended to be. Spend less time texting and more time looking at the beauty all around.

Have a wonderful day savouring happiness.

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