Embracing Life’s Beauty Just As It Is

Sunrise Over Blue Ridge Mountains, 11/19/24/Photography by Bruce Eversmeyer

“When our mind is open and fresh, we see beauty everywhere, including within ourselves. There’s a sense of savoring the uniqueness of each moment. Things have never been just the way they are now. Nor will they ever be just this way again. We’re in tune with the transience of the world, with its poignancy and its profound richness.” ~Perm Chodron*

Recently I have been learning that what I say to others, and myself, is a consistent revelation of how open or closed I am in any given moment. How often I accept life just as it is.

Just the other day I said to my oldest son that we were “cheated out of our gorgeous Fall colors” here this season because Hurricane Helene took so many trees (and leaves) down in her path. Thousands of trees that we will never see growing again in our lifetime.

Upon reflection the realization became clear that this statement was not open ended. There was no room for other forms of “Fall beauty” to discover and sense into.

Nature Park, Weaverville, NC/Photography by Gaye Abbott

Then the very next day after this conversation I discovered Fall leaf art just under my feet on my daily walk through a nature park. Looking up and around a few trees did indeed still have their leaves….and were laden in Fall pallet colors.

The crisp air and golden light threw a magic mantle over the entire area I was walking in casting light on trunks and branches as if there was an artist in residence always creating. Nature.

When I made that statement to my son, instead of being fully in the moment in an expansive way, I chose to make a statement that was not reality, but a narrow confined view based within grieving over the lost trees.

There was nothing wrong with that as it came from a natural grief over such a loss, but it may have affected how much I could celebrate what was right before and around me. An awareness of the way it is right now. In this very moment..

For most of us there have been – and will be – challenges in our lives that simply take away our ability to see and embrace beauty in any given moment….and to be unerringly grateful for it. We may lose our way for a time.

These moments of perceived beauty can be a potential light in the darkness we find ourselves in.

I invite you to take a few moments and watch the video below filmed by Reflections of Life. Doreen Gail Hemp’s story touched me so deeply that her lightness of “beauty” and sense of being in the moment lasted for days after viewing. Though her loss was a major one, she found a way to hold the beauty of life in every moment.

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“Even in life’s most challenging moments, beauty quietly waits to offer us comfort. In times of pain or loss, noticing the small things around us — the warmth of sunlight, the comfort of a friend — can remind us of life’s gentle grace. These seemingly ordinary experiences, so easily overlooked, become subtle guides back toward hope and healing.

Resilience doesn’t mean ignoring hardship; it means facing it with courage, allowing ourselves time to process and grow. Gratitude can be a lifeline, a way to hold onto the blessings that remain, no matter how difficult things may seem. Though the journey may be marked by grief, embracing the beauty in each day can help us move forward. In this way, the smallest moments of light can offer strength when darkness surrounds us.“

Featuring Doreen Gail Hemp.
Filmed in Pringle Bay, South Africa.

*Trigger Warning – This film contains reference to suicide, which may be triggering for some viewers. If you have been affected by a similar issue and you need someone to talk to, please reach out to an organisation or individual near you for help. Take care.

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Dry Falls, Highland, N. Carolina/Photography by Gaye Abbott

*Book Recommendation: Welcoming the Unwelcome: Whole Hearted Living in a Broken Hearted World, by Pema Chodron

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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 11/30/24