Beauty: An Introduction

There are only 2 things that pierce the human heart.

One is beauty. The other is affliction.

Simone Weil

Last week I wrote about my new approach and framework for a joyful life:

Beauty | Order | Love | Depth

This week and the next 3 weeks, I'll be offering an overview of what each of those concepts means to me as I work out and walk out my vision for this year. Because I'm a linear thinking in many ways, I'm going in order and starting with Beauty.

When I talk about Beauty, I don’t mean make-up and fashion. I’m talking about the things in life that take your breath away.

• The awe you feel on top of a mountain, at the edge of the ocean or a high cliff.

• The wonder that fills you when you hold a baby, or look into the eyes of someone you love.

• The way you are suddenly stopped when — in the midst of your everyday life— you see a glorious sunset or a wild animal very close to you.

When those moments occur, what happens in your soul? We catch our breath at the sight of something grand and glorious, like an amazing vista or the first sight of a newborn.

And something inside us expands,
something releases, and
something stirs.

Beauty has a powerful, positive effect.

Beauty is as necessary to our souls as food is to our bodies. Seeing beauty and drinking it in are only two of the ways we can experience it. We can create Beauty; we can share Beauty with others; we can cultivate Beauty, and much more.

I want to be on alert for Beauty in the world around me, to notice it and to search for it, and linger on it when I find it.

I want to be intentional and incorporate Beauty in every area of my life — my home, my work, my writing, and my offerings big and small to those around me.

Tell me:

Are you getting enough Beauty to feed your soul?
When was the last time Beauty interrupted your routine?
How often do you go searching for Beauty?