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Today's
Meditation:
There's
so much to know in this world that it's kind of sad when
someone chooses to ignore everything but one specific
topic. We have so much to see and learn and do that
there's not enough time in our lives to do it all-- so we
might as well use the time we have to do as much as we can,
right?
There's
a great deal of beauty in a fine barn. Between the
symmetry of the design and the wood that's used and the building
techniques and the grace that go into it, a
barn can be a truly beautiful object, even if it looks quite
plain at first glance (just like many people!). But
for someone who has embraced the so-called "finer" things in
life-- literature and architecture and fine meals and the
like-- something like a barn becomes a common, everyday
object that holds no value in and of itself. It's
quite ironic that these people who call themselves "cultured"
are blind to the ordinary beauty in this world. It's
also quite a shame that they aren't able to experience that
beauty and appreciate it.
We
make ourselves richer every time we recognize and appreciate
things in life that deserve our admiration. Not all of
the "finer" things in life are those things that
others define as being "fine." A good plate
of spaghetti is as fine a meal as any gourmet meal, and
while I eat the spaghetti I'm much more relaxed and I enjoy
the meal more. A nicely decorated house is as special
to me as a fine museum-- the contents can be as nice as the
museum's, just not as expensive.
There
is room in our lives for the finer things, and for
appreciating them for what they are. But my hope is
that I never will become so engrossed with the
"finer" things of life that I lose sight of the
beauty of those things that bless my life all day, every
day. If I do lose that, I lose a lot of what makes
life so special.
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