It’s an ordinary day in my very ordinary life—no excitements. There is no place I need to go, nothing that I must do. I find myself basking in the light of this ordinary day and finding things to love about
What Remains
as I let go any shoulds, woulds, or coulds, simply basking in what is.
I began this ordinary day by finishing the last few pages of the third book in a series of books that my daughter and granddaughter both read and then shared with me. As I read the first book in the series, I realized that I’ve read this series before. But I find that I am enjoying reading it again. And I will enjoy discussing the books with my daughter and granddaughter. This evening I will begin reading the fourth book in the series.
Late this morning I noticed that one of the ranunculus flowers that I’ve been photographing all week had completely wilted and was bending over the edge of the vase almost touching the tabletop. I removed the flower from the vase, took it to my office, placed it on a piece of white cardboard and began to photograph it. Beauty in what remains!
Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.
― The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents
Accidental Beauty
Then, for lunch today I cut up a beautiful yellow pear to eat as dessert and when I looked down at the cutting board I saw beauty in what remained on the cutting board.
The stem of the pear had two seeds attached and the shape of the seeds and membrane almost reminded me of a heart shape. It felt like magic noticing this tiny scene of beauty in my kitchen. So I picked up my camera and made several photos of the cutting board with the seeds against two different backgrounds.
Extraordinary magic is woven through ordinary life. Look around!
―
My photographic subjects appeared and called to me because I was moving slowly and attentively with no hurries or distractions. Beauty does not have to be sparkly, exciting, and new. It is all around us embedded in our ordinary lives. It is up to us to learn to see it hiding in plain sight every day.
What beauty can you see hiding in plain sight today? Wishing you beauty in what remains.
May you walk in beauty.
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