Beauty is before me, and beauty is behind me...

Beauty is before me, and beauty behind me,
Above me and below me hovers the beautiful.
I am surrounded by it, I am immersed in it.
In my youth, I am aware of it,
And, in old age I shall walk quietly the beautiful trail.
In beauty it is begun. In beauty it is ended.
~  Navajo Prayer  ~

Have you ever gone outside immediately after the rain?  There is a special kind of serenity in that moment.  It is almost like a place out of time.  The rich smell of wet soil assails your nostrils.  The light chill in the wind as it wraps around your body, even in summer. The energy of unformed lightning tingling your skin.  It has its own special beauty.
In this moment I am sitting on my bed & listening/feeling the deep bass rumble of the thunder rolling across the pastures surrounding my house.  The sun has gone into hiding for the night so I can't see the storm, only experience it through my other senses. This is a perfect reminder to experience the world in other ways. Tonight, my focus is on beauty.  I hear people talk about how horrible the world is.  Sad news stories are shared & forwarded all over the internet.  I tell someone that I intentionally keep my newsfeed on facebook only showing good things & happy things.  I am told I am crazy. If I am crazy for wanting to surround myself with joy, then I can handle that!

My recent life changes that some are still not fully comprehending have resulted in a much happier day. Many of the people who are pulling away or gone altogether are the ones who spoke most strongly against my choice to live a life of happiness.  It's funny how so many people only want to be in your life if it makes them feel better about their own dissatisfaction.  But as soon as you are happy and their attempts to pull you down fail, suddenly the "friendship" is over.  I say Good Riddance!

I have spent the weekend with someone new to seeing to great joy that life can give you.  It is a beautiful thing to watch.  I was inspired to open my eyes even wider to joy and show even more of my true self to the world.  Or should I say, to even more people.  I am choosing the path of subtle beauty.  I am not screaming my true nature at the top of my lungs. That would be silly!  Instead, the truth is there for those who care to see, for isn't true beauty in subtlety?  It is not the brazen red lily in the garden that everyone remarks on.  It is the soft wild rose growing on the edge of the woods, happy in its unusual place that makes person stop to appreciate.  I choose to be the wild rose.
Tonight, as I close my eyes and drift off into sleep I shall allow the soft rumbles of thunder to sink into my bones. My ears will seek out the whistle of the wind weaving through the trees just on the other side of my bedroom walls.  My body will eagerly accept the infusion of energy from the flashing lightning.  My spirit will allow the sound of falling rain to wash away any stresses of the day.  The beauty of the storm will restore me as I sleep.  Beauty is everywhere, we only must look around to see it.