-Beauty-

Today I went to the beach for the first time in WAY too long.  It had been raining off and on all day, but when I got out of the gym the sky was full of sunshine, and the air was fresh and clean just waiting to be breathed in.  When I walked onto the boardwalk and saw the glittering ocean, a giant, cheesy smile immediately came across my face, and reappeared intermittently throughout my 45 minute walk.

The point of sharing this is quite simple: beauty.  In our pursuit of creating greatness for ourselves, or simply trying to tread water in some cases, the thing that most often gets overlooked is the beauty around us.

Here in California, we are beholders of some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the country.  Every single time I go to the beach, I ask myself why I’m not there more often.  I have been organizing my apartment like a madwoman the past two days, and while I love the feeling of accomplishment I have right now, it was so nice to take some time out from optimization and just be.

Observing the beauty in the world can bring you so much joy.  Take a pause today to really soak in the beauty around you.  Maybe that beauty is as simple as a piece of art in the office you always pass by but never really study, a swath of untouched snow, or even a vibrant green sprig in the cracks of the dull cement leading up to your front door.  Creating the time to pause and soak in all of the small glimpses of beauty in your life will bring you a calmness and appreciation that is all too often lost in our crazy roller-coaster lives.

Observe, just be, and revel in the knowledge that you are alive.