Last night was beautiful. The air was crisp, the sky was clear and the moon was shining so bright. I couldn’t help but take pause and allow my eyes and soul to drink it in.

In this life we are all blessed, it is full of so much beauty and grace. It amazes me how hard I try sometimes; to ignore it, to be distracted from it, to push it aside and speed it up. How often do I get caught in the trap of wanting the future to come so quickly. I disconnect from the present in anticipation of disconnecting from the future. So many moments in my life when I can’t wait to not be where I am so I can be somewhere else, doing something else. At work, with friends, at the store, in my car…nowhere is safe from my desire to escape. Not always, but all too often. I want to get home to watch the next episode, or put my headphones on and close my eyes, or to drink or smoke. To control my perception of time through external means.

When I slow down, when I attempt to be in the moment, to enjoy the sun light warming my face or feel the cool night air fill my lungs. When I enjoy the beauty of the night sky or the stillness of the morning while the steam rolls off my coffee. When I see those I love smile or hear them laugh. When I am able to capture and hold onto the beauty of gratitude for even just a few minutes. Life seems so different.

It seems almost like those things I want to rush to, in order to disconnect and distract, are the very things that make my life more difficult. They make time go faster and often times seem to exacerbate a sense of boredom when I am not engaged with them. They often also seem like the things that give me anxiety and confusion, that amplify the pressures in life or even create them altogether. In my efforts to escape the rigors of life, I create them.

Please let’s slow down today. Let’s practice kindness, acceptance, and love. Try to notice the beauty all around, drink it in, give yourself time to process it, allow yourself to feel awkward if you must and in that moment smile, if only for yourself smile. Be the reason even just one other person smiles today. Notice the beauty and share it with others, especially those that matter to you.

A single blade of green grass that grows on a valley floor will never know the view from the top of the mountain. It’s destiny to forever be walked upon by those who may never notice it. Yet still it grows and reaches for the sky. How blessed is it, how blessed are you, how blessed am I.

Keep smiling, you’re worth it!

Always Yours

me