Recently I have been involved in several conversations about beauty – What is personal beauty?  What is environmental beauty?  Is beauty constant?  Can it be gained/achieved? Do we intentionally surround ourselves with beauty?  Etc.

The old adage, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” definitely seems to be true.  Some of what my friends find beautiful may not even get a second glance from me and vice versa.  In fact, one of my closest friends recently said to me that things I find important (hair, trendy clothing, up-to-date make-up) are not at all important to her and yet, she is a beautiful woman.

But beauty goes far beyond personal appearance and it can be found in anything.  Wikipedia defines beauty as a quality present in an object, or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (such as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (such as personality). Said another way, “beauty” is a quality of a person, object, place, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, affirmation, meaning or goodness.

So if beauty provides us with “pleasure, affirmation, meaning or goodness,” qualities we can never get enough of, do we take the time to seek it out?  Do you intentionally arrange your life so that you may see the beauty around you?

One of the greatest benefits of living in North Carolina is that I am surrounded by beautiful green trees in the Spring and Summer and wonderful fall colors in Autumn.  Not a day goes by that I do not drive down the street and marvel at the beauty growing around me.  But, when I am not in my car enjoying the sites I try to make sure I have something beautiful near me at all times.  For me this is as simple as cut flowers in a vase, photos on my walls, friends’ pictures on my fridge and lavender oil on my pillow.

One of the hobbies I have recently picked up is photography.  Although I could greatly benefit from a class, I so enjoy taking my camera with me on outings, whether to the park, on a trip or even just around my yard.  What I’ve found is that looking through the lens of a camera causes me to slow down and really look at the details of life.

Slated to go on the walls of my office (I need to remodel it first) are beautiful close-ups of tulips and other flowers, berries w/ a light dusting of snow and several architectural snapshots (including an interesting angle of the John Hancock building in Chicago).  To me all of these things are beautiful and I want to be inspired by beauty when I work.

What about you?  What do you find beautiful?  Take the time to find the beauty in your surroundings.  If you can’t find much, bring it to you:  frame pictures for your workspace, pick a daisy from your yard and put it in a vase, play beautiful music, dab yourself with an appealing fragrance or wear a wonderful fabric.

There are many ways to enhance your life with beauty, but you need to take the time to do so.  Don’t let another day go by without it.  Life is so much better when it’s beautiful!