Are we missing the beauty that is all around us?

They would put an Olympic ice skater to shame. Whether jumping or turning, they create momentary galaxies of spiraling and elliptical color. The wind ignites an electrical firestorm as their morphing shapes orbit around a motionless solider. Their playful dance suggests that no matter whether you're looking at life or death, everything will be ok in the universe. A few notice the power of this moment and stop to take note of it. Others are seen walking by, uninterested in the beautiful spectacle around them. They seemed to want to get to their destination and  probably out of the wind. This theatrical presentation staged by nature can be seen in this short YouTube video here.

Will we open our hearts to the beauty around us?

This video reminds me of the plastic bag scene in the movie, American Beauty. A young man invites a girl into his bedroom and asks if she wants to see the most beautiful thing he’s ever felt. Defying the expectations of this set up, he proceeds to show her a video he took of a plastic bag dancing in the wind on a street corner. The idea was that beauty is all around us even in moments others may think mundane or ordinary. The world invites us to be a part of this beauty and have a dialogue with it. All we have to do is just slow down and notice it.

I would challenge us to slow down and see the art in seemingly ordinary and mundane things. Observe the nuance surface patterns in sidewalks, the struggle of trash caught in trees or the shapes created by the movement of clouds. These are things that children naturally do but many adults have lost in the busyness of their handicapped imaginations. Since April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., consider writing a poem about what you see and experience in these moments. We may soon discover that there is no such thing as mundane and ordinary.  Will we behold the beauty that is all around us?

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