Look for the Beauty
Being human is full of challenges, but it’s too easy to focus on what’s wrong and get stuck there.
We’re programmed to nitpick in school, with points taken away for every mistake made and stacks of rules to keep us in line. Judgment and control run thick in religion, government, and myriad cultural elements. How do we not notice the things that are wrong, or fall into critical thought patterns?
And sometimes you just gotta rant, right? Get it off your chest. There’s immeasurable value in that, especially when you have someone who knows how to listen and can help you laugh about it.
Being able to gather feedback about mistakes is important, of course. We learn from whatever happened, grow, and hopefully don’t repeat the mistake too many times.
Sometimes the only way we know what we want is by finding out what we don’t want. That’s the case whether we’re talking about a job, a partner, a car, a house, or changes to the blockchain.
Looking for the beauty.
There’s another perspective to life, a flip side to the too-easily found negativity. Some call it optimism. I like informed optimism… cautious optimism. I’ve been burned too many times for blind optimism.
It’s important to see what isn’t going on right, but it’s a gift to focus on what is going well. Looking for the beauty in life is a worthy practice, and goes hand-in-hand with gratitude.
For me, the easiest way to immerse myself in the awareness of beauty is to get into nature. Every leaf is a wonder to me. Right now, the poplar and birch trees are turning gold, and the colour against the blue of the sky is magical.
Life is in constant change. Time rolls on, and evolution isn’t always comfortable, but there is often as much good happening as bad. Not that things are usually that black and white.
I think we can all use a reminder to focus on what’s working, what’s wonderful, and where we find gratitude. I know I have to remind myself on a regular basis. But it feels better to focus on these things, and the more you do it, the easier it gets to move into that place of gratitude, optimism, or whatever you want to call it.
The trick is finding the balance between learning from mistakes and looking for a silver lining.
I also think immersing yourself in beauty is a good thing, like going for a walk in the woods.
Equinox adventures.
I’ve been hiking a bit lately, and took this video on the first or second day of fall. Summer went fast! The leaves are falling and the nights are cold up here in the mountains, but these are precious days, when the sky is a special shade of blue that deepens as we move towards the cross-quarter day of Samhain (which most celebrate as Halloween).
Here’s a quick verse of the Gayatri Mantra, and a look at the trail I was on.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you have much to be grateful for in your life, and that you see beauty all around you.
As we adjust to blockchain changes, don’t worry if you don't have enough mana for a vote. To me, engagement is the best thing about Steem. Comments are most appreciated!
Take care of yourself, you are a gift!
Peace. @katrina-ariel
Photos mine unless otherwise credited.
Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steem.
dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne
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A beautiful post, Katrina. I’m really loving the vibe of your posts since I started visiting. ❤️
I am the prone to the most vicious little rants, but they are just that, poison I need to spill out and then I’m calm and happy again. It’s the friends who understand this, who give you the time to let it spill over and are unaffected by these angsty moments that I cherish.
And nothing balances us out and makes us realise how petty our grievances are than when we get outside and just enjoy the sun and the real world around us. So for me it’s not just nature that surrounds us, it’s being grateful for the small pleasures, such as being able to run and to shake of the mental cobwebs. I was just about to head out for a long run to release all the tension. Glad I caught this, it’s a lovely reminder to be more grateful.
YES! Being grateful for small pleasures is so important, and for the things we take for granted. As for those friends who can listen to a rant and roll with it, they are the best!!! It's so important to get stuff out, so we aren't stuck, but too much negativity is a turn off. I don't pretend to have it all figured out, but I'm trying. Life is about finding balance. Heading out for a run (or walk, or kayak, or whatever) is good medicine.
Thanks for showing up and continuing these conversations we have, my friend! I'm grateful for you! 💞
Thank you! It's beautiful, you really do have a voice that is suited to the outdoors.
I don't have leaves changing. The desert comes and goes on it's own schedule, according to the rain or lack thereof. But I can and do track the sun, I am directly east of a notch in the mountains (cough) called Telegraph Pass. The sun rises precisely in the bottom of the notch on the equinox, and has already moved to the south of the bottom.
The seasons do change here, but you have to watch for them. NWS says we had our last 40C day yesterday, we have a storm moving in and then we should get to our fall temps of 30C highs and 20C lows. Pretty pleasant.
I'm not quite ready to cast my (daily) vote, but you might get it yet. I really do appreciate your post.
Oh. As the temps change it will be time to hike some of the back country canyons to look for elephant trees. See how our old friends survived the brutally dry summer and find more. I'll write a post about the project after the first hike.
Back country canyons sound amazing. I look forward to a post about elephant trees. The desert is so different, yes. I love the diverse beauty of this planet. Very cool that you see the sun in one place on the equinox—it sure amazes me how much the light has changed in the last month.
Thank you—you always leave such thoughtful, kind comments!
Amazing views in the mountains, it’s very autumnal at the moment with cold but sunny days and very cold nights.
I think we all need to stop sometimes and take stock of what is important- it’s easy to make a mountain out of a molehill. A different day a fresh outlook I say.
#thealliance #witness
Yes indeed! To be fair, it's easy to get sucked into the things that stress us out, but moving forward and allowing a fresh perspective is imperative. 💞
What a beautiful piece of content!
After our chat in the witness forum I thought I might go check your blog, since I very much enjoyed your positive attitude there. Well done, Marly - hehe! I will be following you from now on and also resteemed this post since I feel that it might be valuable to a lot more :-)
Enjoy your weekend
Thank you!!! I'm glad you found the post worthwhile. The reminder in perspective is something I'm constantly revisiting, myself, and I hope others find it valuable.
It was great to share "space" with you in the witness chat today. It was a lively one, and I was encouraged to see how many witnesses and engaged users attended.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well! 💞
I can not, just looking and enjoying nature makes me happy in general
Nature makes me happy, too. :)
I am very according with you ideas and your message, Liked read your beautifull post. Especially this phrase:
You have a great voice, I enjoy your video!
I also love the hiking, I am next to publish my ride in a motaña of pines beautiful.
A hug dear!
Hi there Miss Katrina. This is a beautiful post. Not only did it resonate with us as far as looking for the beauty in nature, but also the metaphor of looking for beauty in every situation. Balance is so critical. We are brand new, and honored to make you one of our first follows! love, Nick and Alicia
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! 💖 Yes, looking for the beauty in every situation can be a gift indeed. :)
Welcome to the platform! My unsolicited advice is to be yourself, have fun, join communities, and be in it for the long haul. @welcomewagon is a great account to follow, as they are all about helping new users. Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope to see you here again soon. Steem on! :)
A beautiful and motivational post, so cool listening to you on the trail,
getting balance between the good and the bad and moving forward with a positive attitude is a great way to be
Thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Sometimes that balance is tricky, but it's worth the effort. :)
This post has been voted on from MSP3K courtesy of @isaria from the Minnow Support Project ( @minnowsupport ).
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Yeah, knowing what we do not want gets us closer to knowing what we do want and constructive criticism is always welcomed or at least should be welcomed because it points us in the right direction. I agree with you that nature is amazing in providing perspective and so much clarity. We can learn and realize a lot from being quiet and just observing what is going on around us. The photos you took are lovely, much love honey 💚
YES! Observation is key. Such a powerful thing to act as witness to the self. And so healing to immerse in the quiet of nature, to get that clarity, or at least some perspective. Even if it doesn't answer all the questions, it sure does help. 💖