How do people see life so beautifully?
I've heard of people that see life through rose - colored glasses and how they just lighten up the world. (I'm not even sure they exist because I don't know what everyone else is thinking) What do they see in it? For me, I suppose it's hard to see anything but the bland reality. What else is there to see? For example, people that stay so happy in harsh or stressful conditions, who don't doubt anybody, just see the best in people, who see the reason behind peoples' doings without hating them. Seriously, how do they do it?
Life experience and a form of mental toughness. You appreciate more when you once had absolutely nothing. I’d also say people who’ve went through REAL suffering typically either spiral downwards, or are absolutely radiant. My great-grandmother was at Leningrad, starved by the Nazis - however she was the kindest soul, and my best friend. It could be worse.
Sometimes I will find myself in a wonderous state of being where I am able to fully discover the unrefusable beauty of the world and life. Everywhere I look, I see a painting. People feel much more vivid, brighter and deep. It feels like I want to connect and be a part of everything all at once. Like I want to be at every beautiful place in order to soak it all in and not let anything go to waste. Suddenly, I'm able to see the potential in most every little thing: architecture, nature, language, community, future, people, sometimes when I then look into the mirror, even myself.
Every detail of life is enhanced and it feels like there is real beauty in every single one of them. From this description, one would think this is a joyous experience and a blessing, but for me it is just on the same degree of agonizing.
It overwhelms me so much. It feels like I'm being pulled in a million different directions. Luminous and breathtaking directions for sure, but it leaves me in a place where I don't know where to be and I even sometimes get sad as I won't be able to let all this beauty be taken in completely. I feel like I want to share these musings with other people but it gets so hard to describe and more often than not, the loved ones I tell don't get it the way I feel. This is frustrating. It feels like I need to do something, need to avoid other things, so that I have the best chance of making the most of this beauty.
I don't know if it is comprehensible what I've written here or if anyone sometimes feels that same way. From an objective point of view, this probably sounds extremly weird and confusing but I do feel it and I can't put it any other way. I've tried just "swimming" in that pool of beauty and amazement. To let it wash over me and simply let the stream take me along with it. But it requires a lot of mental effort and the nagging feeling of having to do something with said beauty seemingly won't ever fully leave me.
How do you deal with the overwhelming beauty in the world?
I just feel like my life since June has been a series of unfortunate events. Which have accompanied the birth of my second daughter unfortunately. I had a complicated delivery which culimated in her not breathing at birth and then subsequent readmission to the hospital 1 day after getting home for fluid overload (I lost 25 lb in 2 days- it was insane). Then I had problems with prolonged postpartum bleeding and poor c section incision healing.
All the meanwhile my father is being diagnosed with ALS and this has been so overshadowing anything baby/postpartum related. I am his power of attorney and everything else.
Then my husband lost his job due to mass layoffs at his company.
Then I broke my foot and I'm about halfway through wearing this walking boot and can't drive.
I'm just listing this all out to say that I'm overwhelmed and having a hard time with being present in the moment/ being positive that things will get better.
What makes life beautiful to you?
Life is a beautiful phenomenon. Even though you could spend hours discussing upon the strangeness and complexity of its existence, the reasons become irrelevant in compare to the experiences that make life what it is. So, what makes you embrace the beauty of life?
People who love you. Loving others, helping others, thinking of others. Connection. Friendship. Holding hands. Hugs. Facing suffering with an open heart. Fighting for what you believe in.
The great outdoors. The sky. The sea, mountains, forests, flowers, stars. Planets and galaxies and infinite mysteries.
Music, art, poetry. Dancing, singing, laughing, playing. Bubbles. Bright colours. Making people smile. Imagining a more beautiful world, and working to make that vision a reality.
What makes life beautiful ultimately is when you decide you are going to make life as beautiful as you can for others.
For example, you might meet someone beautiful, with an ideal appearance from the outside, and you wonder how it's possible for someone to look like that while still being vulnerable to sickness, a flawed digestive process, aging, and the physical limitations that make people feel uncomfortable and less beautiful than the image they project.
Or how is it possible for some people to feel almost divine in this world, living in luxury and surrounded by respect, while the majority will never come close to that state and instead accept a meager existence? Even when browsing listings for luxurious properties, you can feel envy, as some people are treated so exceptionally, as if they were worth millions of dollars. People elevate themselves to feel blissful amidst the potential beauty life could offer, even though this feeling contradicts the reality of the human condition, as it is not something most people ever truly experience.
This contrast between beauty and suffering never ceases to amaze me. I always fall into its trap, believing that my life could reach such heights just because such potential exists, even though for ordinary people, it remains utterly out of reach. Children doing dumb kid things that remind you of your own youth. Animals/Pets, being unpredictable wild beasts that make you laugh or stare in awe. The capabilities of our own minds when we listen to stories or daydream. Listening or playing music to no end. The potential of one's own body if one is still fortunate enough to be able to test it. Weather patterns and geographic marvels like mountains and oceans. A genuine good natured smile or laughter. Adventure. Love making. Good food with good company. The knowledge this is all temporary.
A couple of years ago I had a car accident in which I could have died perfectly well and I came out totally unscathed. This made me more aware that we really can die at any moment, I know everyone says they know, but believe me until you look death in the face you don't know 100%. This experience far from depressing me has made me appreciate life as something beautiful without having to be obsessed with a purpose for it. Thanks to this I enjoy every minute of existence, after all it is the only thing I can do until I cease to exist.
I was at a bakery one day and this elderly couple - dressed to a T in these 'Sunday church' complimenting outfits came by to buy a bagel or something and they were so smiley and sunny with each other in that slow, fragile way that old people are. Lovely.
I saw three little boys in public transportation, brothers probably, the oldest one was maybe 12 or 13 - they were geared up like they were going on some big journey with backpacks and snacks and a map and little water bottles. Listening to them talk - they were on an adventure to go to grandma's house on their own for the first time. They kept consulting the physical map that was just there for the atmosphere I guess because they also had phones and looked up google maps and kept arguing if grandma's house was 'here' or 'there' and it was just so cute. Lovely.
Around the main street of my city, there's an area where you could sometimes see this old guy walk with his two white pet bunnies. Not on a leash or anything, but just hopping after him while he bounced in front of them and laughed every time like it was his first time walking them like this. (Belgraders might know this guy :D ). Totally lovely.
And that's just the stuff I happened to notice, it's happening all around us all the time in big or little ways, just cute people being lovely and it's really uplifting to me.
As a young 26 year old female, I have discovered two things that every human being should know. When I met my boyfriend, it opened up a new part in my life. I felt love not just for a family member, parents, grandparents, siblings, but love for a person that turns me on, and also who I would die for. This new part in my life opened up a new meaning to discover, and I’m not sure how, but it did. I want to share these two things that I have discovered that anyone in their life can practice no matter what age and no matter what situation, to bring joy and happiness to every single day in life.
It might seem simple, but try to be in the moment more often.
Sometime after 23 or 24, I discovered the beauty and importance of mindfulness meditation. It might seem boring, but it’s a very important step. I'm not trying to preach to meditate everyday, but I do have a point to this. This type of meditation emphasizes the importance of being in the here and now. What are you feeling right now? What does the air feel like around you? The strategy is to focus on your breath, to be the anchor, and to observe the thoughts coming and going, but not to stick to any of the thoughts. Just let them flow and let go. I do find myself a few times everyday, focusing on just being in the moment. (I'm not sure if you have to meditate to discover this, but it helps!) When I'm going for a walk or watching a movie or reading a book, sometimes I find myself just focusing on what is happening around me in this very instance, instead of worrying about the past or the future. Worrying about the past or the future is the main reason why high stress and anxiety affects all human beings, and is the root cause for all the evil and unhappiness in the world. The other day, I went for a 5 mile hike, all by myself at a familiar place. I found myself more often just being in the moment and noticing all the little things that are happening around me. A couple years ago I would just dismiss all of that, and not appreciate its beauty. There is a whole other world out there, and not just in "here." I saw a family of deer eating foliage. A beautiful crane under a cumulonimbus cloud, looking for fish. So many beautiful mushrooms, because no mushroom is ever ugly. Chipmunks sprinting across the path with a mouthful of nuts and squirrels going about their daily lives and funnel spiders creating homes for themselves. Noticing the little tasks bees are doing, and feeling the texture of bark on a tree. Sitting on a bench for an hour. I find myself taking a step back, stopping and observing things. Looking over the bridge and watching the water gently flow around the rocks. Standing on a boulder and looking out over the lake and looking up at the sky. Does everything out there exist just for you? No, you are the gentle observer, is what I like to call it. Then this feeling of joy and contentedness welled up inside me, and I felt at peace. Life is so beautiful, we have to appreciate it for what it is because this moment that you were in right now may be remembered five years later. And then, five years later is another five years off your life that you can't appreciate any more. If something bothers you, or if someone does something you find disrespectful, speak up! But in a nice, professional way. (I'm guilty of staying quiet, and being too mean and regret it)
This world is full of injustice and unfairness, and always will be. This is a problem for me, because I have autism and self diagnosed myself with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). So for me, I have an extremely strong need for justice. When something happens to someone that is unfair, violent, just depressing, I can get really really upset and even cry and sob. So many people in this world have met their demise early, and have not discovered the full beauty of life and the appreciation for it, and they can never feel the kind of love that me and my boyfriend share ever again. Or experience the love that is family, ever. again. Sometimes I feel that this world has too much hate and not enough LOVE. That person you see, walking down the street, they are someone for somebody. To sum things up, I am not saying to be completely in the moment every second of every day, or berate people for being disrespectful ,because nothing would get done. Also, don't ever feel like you're wasting your time, because that is a time waste in itself. But when you have time, try to focus on the "here and now" more and be grateful, because gratitude is one of the main things for joy and happiness. Live every day intentionally. Look around you, look at this whole, beautiful world around you. Appreciate it. Because it won’t last, as depressing as that sounds. This moment won’t last. Just like the Buddha said, everything is impermanent. Tell your family member you love them. Tell your significant other how grateful you are for them. Give a gift to a stranger. Be kind and respectful. Be humble and vulnerable.
I am a male student in college and let me start by saying that I am not even remotely depressed. I am happy pretty much all the time. I feel, however, that I am losing touch with the finer things in life that I used to regard as divine/beautiful. Most of where I see beauty is in music and art, and obviously women. Lately, however, I haven't been seeing this as much, things have been starting to seem bland in the beauty category. I used to be able to sit in church and listen to the music on the organ and almost be in tears as to how beautiful it was (yes I'm a Christian but please don't turn this into an Atheist circle-jerk, this is not the point of the thread). I was a pretty decent trumpet and piano player in high school, but I haven't played in 2 years. Could this be part of my problem?
I just get moments where I get very depressed about the future and the world just seems so ugly to me. What I have found is that looking at or experiencing something that is visually very beautiful helps me snap out of it. I live in a very cold, dark, gloomy place but I look at photos and videos of summer days in other countries and it reminds me that the world is beautiful. But it depresses me to think I will never be able to go to those places.
I have never been able to see beauty in nature; it simply is to me - not ugly, not ok, not amazing, it's just trees and wildlife. It evokes no emotion at all in me. I've been around enough people (and seen enough media) to know that many people find beauty in certain things, like sunsets/sunrises, open views from tall mountains, the aurora borealis, the stars in the night sky, or the leaves changing color in the autumn.
So what is the key to appreciate and see this stuff? I've lived a few years out in the mountain area, and have hiked/walked probably a hundred trails/mountains by now, I've practiced some forms of yoga outside, have camped in the wilderness maybe a dozen times, and have had dates where we watch the sun rise. And despite any effort, I remain indifferent, lacking opinion. It just seems I'm missing out on something.
I grew up in the desert and it took me until adulthood to appreciate the beauty of the desert. I would say "familiarity breeds contempt" described my attitude toward the desert. I used to think it was like some guy dumped bleach on the landscape and ruined it. I thought all the colors were pale and washed out and especially on a harsh summer's day the landscape is so unforgiving and awful.
What helped for me is finding even the smallest thing in the desert that I liked, like the wildlife, arches, slot canyons, and petroglyphs. Then I read a book called "Secret Knowledge of Water" that explained how even in the driest places on earth, the landscape is completely dominated by the flow and passage of water. It gave me something to focus on when looking at a desert landscape and suddenly I was seeing erosion patterns and little round balls of sandstone that were formed by the wind and all kinds of interesting things. I read about desert wildlife and was so excited when I would see a chuckwalla or something rare out in the desert. I read about cryptorganic soil that is formed by bacteria and takes thousands of years to develop. I went to the great sand dunes in Alamosa and hiked in the dunes and imagined Lawrence of Arabia fighting in the desert. I learned a ton about the Anasazi people and visited many unmarked cliff dwellings and saw their petroglyphs.
For example, I'm as broke as I've ever been and worried about all the things like everyone else, BUT I'm currently snuggled under a fluffy warm blanket and I am incredibly thankful for it. I'm thankful for warmth when it's cold, for the roof over my head, for my working car, my body that (mostly) does what it needs to, for the sunshine, the blue sky, for plants and flowers, for furry kittens, happy babies, friends, family, love. There are so, SO many small things to be grateful for that can bring you moments of joy when you focus on them. You just have to make it a point to actually notice and appreciate the good things and let them warm and soothe your soul. Be present in the moment you're in, and figure out what you can be thankful for in that moment.
Go for a walk, sit on a park bench and watch, dogs doing reckless things as owners try and keep chaos to the minimum, while little kids try to learn to ride a bike or just manage to get one foot in front of the other without stumbling.
See sky, trees, houses, people, wierd stuff people out in their gardens, breath, let some of the tensions drop away a little.
Go to the library every where I've ever been, if they have a library its an oasis of calm.
Go to a cafe, remind yourself how wonderful the mundane is.
Go look at your actual world, the tangible one, the mundane one where there are hardly any surprises, the streets where you know every bland garden, remind yourself its still there and that normal is still possible and happening.
You can only carry what you can, so emotional overwhelm is going to happen if you don't put some of those emotinal burdens to one side and focus on carrying the ones you need to keep going on with life.
Parks are wonderful places to just sit for a bit, eat a sandwich, watch the birds being birds, even on cold days, wrap up warm, take a snack, sit for a bit and let go of what ever is pulling you down.
Most days I don’t even know why I’m still here. Maybe it’s the hope that someday I’ll see beauty in something? Maybe it’s the obligation I have to my friends and family to stay alive.
I’ve always been an incredibly negative person. I try to be neutral or positive, but it’s like a facade. It’s not real. I try my best; I do gratitude, I see my friends. It doesn’t matter. Life is suffering.
Life experience and a form of mental toughness. You appreciate more when you once had absolutely nothing. I’d also say people who’ve went through REAL suffering typically either spiral downwards, or are absolutely radiant. My great-grandmother was at Leningrad, starved by the Nazis - however she was the kindest soul, and my best friend. It could be worse.
Sometimes I will find myself in a wonderous state of being where I am able to fully discover the unrefusable beauty of the world and life. Everywhere I look, I see a painting. People feel much more vivid, brighter and deep. It feels like I want to connect and be a part of everything all at once. Like I want to be at every beautiful place in order to soak it all in and not let anything go to waste. Suddenly, I'm able to see the potential in most every little thing: architecture, nature, language, community, future, people, sometimes when I then look into the mirror, even myself.
Every detail of life is enhanced and it feels like there is real beauty in every single one of them. From this description, one would think this is a joyous experience and a blessing, but for me it is just on the same degree of agonizing.
It overwhelms me so much. It feels like I'm being pulled in a million different directions. Luminous and breathtaking directions for sure, but it leaves me in a place where I don't know where to be and I even sometimes get sad as I won't be able to let all this beauty be taken in completely. I feel like I want to share these musings with other people but it gets so hard to describe and more often than not, the loved ones I tell don't get it the way I feel. This is frustrating. It feels like I need to do something, need to avoid other things, so that I have the best chance of making the most of this beauty.
I don't know if it is comprehensible what I've written here or if anyone sometimes feels that same way. From an objective point of view, this probably sounds extremly weird and confusing but I do feel it and I can't put it any other way. I've tried just "swimming" in that pool of beauty and amazement. To let it wash over me and simply let the stream take me along with it. But it requires a lot of mental effort and the nagging feeling of having to do something with said beauty seemingly won't ever fully leave me.
How do you deal with the overwhelming beauty in the world?
I just feel like my life since June has been a series of unfortunate events. Which have accompanied the birth of my second daughter unfortunately. I had a complicated delivery which culimated in her not breathing at birth and then subsequent readmission to the hospital 1 day after getting home for fluid overload (I lost 25 lb in 2 days- it was insane). Then I had problems with prolonged postpartum bleeding and poor c section incision healing.
All the meanwhile my father is being diagnosed with ALS and this has been so overshadowing anything baby/postpartum related. I am his power of attorney and everything else.
Then my husband lost his job due to mass layoffs at his company.
Then I broke my foot and I'm about halfway through wearing this walking boot and can't drive.
I'm just listing this all out to say that I'm overwhelmed and having a hard time with being present in the moment/ being positive that things will get better.
What makes life beautiful to you?
Life is a beautiful phenomenon. Even though you could spend hours discussing upon the strangeness and complexity of its existence, the reasons become irrelevant in compare to the experiences that make life what it is. So, what makes you embrace the beauty of life?
People who love you. Loving others, helping others, thinking of others. Connection. Friendship. Holding hands. Hugs. Facing suffering with an open heart. Fighting for what you believe in.
The great outdoors. The sky. The sea, mountains, forests, flowers, stars. Planets and galaxies and infinite mysteries.
Music, art, poetry. Dancing, singing, laughing, playing. Bubbles. Bright colours. Making people smile. Imagining a more beautiful world, and working to make that vision a reality.
What makes life beautiful ultimately is when you decide you are going to make life as beautiful as you can for others.
For example, you might meet someone beautiful, with an ideal appearance from the outside, and you wonder how it's possible for someone to look like that while still being vulnerable to sickness, a flawed digestive process, aging, and the physical limitations that make people feel uncomfortable and less beautiful than the image they project.
Or how is it possible for some people to feel almost divine in this world, living in luxury and surrounded by respect, while the majority will never come close to that state and instead accept a meager existence? Even when browsing listings for luxurious properties, you can feel envy, as some people are treated so exceptionally, as if they were worth millions of dollars. People elevate themselves to feel blissful amidst the potential beauty life could offer, even though this feeling contradicts the reality of the human condition, as it is not something most people ever truly experience.
This contrast between beauty and suffering never ceases to amaze me. I always fall into its trap, believing that my life could reach such heights just because such potential exists, even though for ordinary people, it remains utterly out of reach. Children doing dumb kid things that remind you of your own youth. Animals/Pets, being unpredictable wild beasts that make you laugh or stare in awe. The capabilities of our own minds when we listen to stories or daydream. Listening or playing music to no end. The potential of one's own body if one is still fortunate enough to be able to test it. Weather patterns and geographic marvels like mountains and oceans. A genuine good natured smile or laughter. Adventure. Love making. Good food with good company. The knowledge this is all temporary.
A couple of years ago I had a car accident in which I could have died perfectly well and I came out totally unscathed. This made me more aware that we really can die at any moment, I know everyone says they know, but believe me until you look death in the face you don't know 100%. This experience far from depressing me has made me appreciate life as something beautiful without having to be obsessed with a purpose for it. Thanks to this I enjoy every minute of existence, after all it is the only thing I can do until I cease to exist.
I was at a bakery one day and this elderly couple - dressed to a T in these 'Sunday church' complimenting outfits came by to buy a bagel or something and they were so smiley and sunny with each other in that slow, fragile way that old people are. Lovely.
I saw three little boys in public transportation, brothers probably, the oldest one was maybe 12 or 13 - they were geared up like they were going on some big journey with backpacks and snacks and a map and little water bottles. Listening to them talk - they were on an adventure to go to grandma's house on their own for the first time. They kept consulting the physical map that was just there for the atmosphere I guess because they also had phones and looked up google maps and kept arguing if grandma's house was 'here' or 'there' and it was just so cute. Lovely.
Around the main street of my city, there's an area where you could sometimes see this old guy walk with his two white pet bunnies. Not on a leash or anything, but just hopping after him while he bounced in front of them and laughed every time like it was his first time walking them like this. (Belgraders might know this guy :D ). Totally lovely.
And that's just the stuff I happened to notice, it's happening all around us all the time in big or little ways, just cute people being lovely and it's really uplifting to me.
As a young 26 year old female, I have discovered two things that every human being should know. When I met my boyfriend, it opened up a new part in my life. I felt love not just for a family member, parents, grandparents, siblings, but love for a person that turns me on, and also who I would die for. This new part in my life opened up a new meaning to discover, and I’m not sure how, but it did. I want to share these two things that I have discovered that anyone in their life can practice no matter what age and no matter what situation, to bring joy and happiness to every single day in life.
It might seem simple, but try to be in the moment more often.
Sometime after 23 or 24, I discovered the beauty and importance of mindfulness meditation. It might seem boring, but it’s a very important step. I'm not trying to preach to meditate everyday, but I do have a point to this. This type of meditation emphasizes the importance of being in the here and now. What are you feeling right now? What does the air feel like around you? The strategy is to focus on your breath, to be the anchor, and to observe the thoughts coming and going, but not to stick to any of the thoughts. Just let them flow and let go. I do find myself a few times everyday, focusing on just being in the moment. (I'm not sure if you have to meditate to discover this, but it helps!) When I'm going for a walk or watching a movie or reading a book, sometimes I find myself just focusing on what is happening around me in this very instance, instead of worrying about the past or the future. Worrying about the past or the future is the main reason why high stress and anxiety affects all human beings, and is the root cause for all the evil and unhappiness in the world. The other day, I went for a 5 mile hike, all by myself at a familiar place. I found myself more often just being in the moment and noticing all the little things that are happening around me. A couple years ago I would just dismiss all of that, and not appreciate its beauty. There is a whole other world out there, and not just in "here." I saw a family of deer eating foliage. A beautiful crane under a cumulonimbus cloud, looking for fish. So many beautiful mushrooms, because no mushroom is ever ugly. Chipmunks sprinting across the path with a mouthful of nuts and squirrels going about their daily lives and funnel spiders creating homes for themselves. Noticing the little tasks bees are doing, and feeling the texture of bark on a tree. Sitting on a bench for an hour. I find myself taking a step back, stopping and observing things. Looking over the bridge and watching the water gently flow around the rocks. Standing on a boulder and looking out over the lake and looking up at the sky. Does everything out there exist just for you? No, you are the gentle observer, is what I like to call it. Then this feeling of joy and contentedness welled up inside me, and I felt at peace. Life is so beautiful, we have to appreciate it for what it is because this moment that you were in right now may be remembered five years later. And then, five years later is another five years off your life that you can't appreciate any more. If something bothers you, or if someone does something you find disrespectful, speak up! But in a nice, professional way. (I'm guilty of staying quiet, and being too mean and regret it)
This world is full of injustice and unfairness, and always will be. This is a problem for me, because I have autism and self diagnosed myself with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). So for me, I have an extremely strong need for justice. When something happens to someone that is unfair, violent, just depressing, I can get really really upset and even cry and sob. So many people in this world have met their demise early, and have not discovered the full beauty of life and the appreciation for it, and they can never feel the kind of love that me and my boyfriend share ever again. Or experience the love that is family, ever. again. Sometimes I feel that this world has too much hate and not enough LOVE. That person you see, walking down the street, they are someone for somebody. To sum things up, I am not saying to be completely in the moment every second of every day, or berate people for being disrespectful ,because nothing would get done. Also, don't ever feel like you're wasting your time, because that is a time waste in itself. But when you have time, try to focus on the "here and now" more and be grateful, because gratitude is one of the main things for joy and happiness. Live every day intentionally. Look around you, look at this whole, beautiful world around you. Appreciate it. Because it won’t last, as depressing as that sounds. This moment won’t last. Just like the Buddha said, everything is impermanent. Tell your family member you love them. Tell your significant other how grateful you are for them. Give a gift to a stranger. Be kind and respectful. Be humble and vulnerable.
I am a male student in college and let me start by saying that I am not even remotely depressed. I am happy pretty much all the time. I feel, however, that I am losing touch with the finer things in life that I used to regard as divine/beautiful. Most of where I see beauty is in music and art, and obviously women. Lately, however, I haven't been seeing this as much, things have been starting to seem bland in the beauty category. I used to be able to sit in church and listen to the music on the organ and almost be in tears as to how beautiful it was (yes I'm a Christian but please don't turn this into an Atheist circle-jerk, this is not the point of the thread). I was a pretty decent trumpet and piano player in high school, but I haven't played in 2 years. Could this be part of my problem?
I just get moments where I get very depressed about the future and the world just seems so ugly to me. What I have found is that looking at or experiencing something that is visually very beautiful helps me snap out of it. I live in a very cold, dark, gloomy place but I look at photos and videos of summer days in other countries and it reminds me that the world is beautiful. But it depresses me to think I will never be able to go to those places.
I have never been able to see beauty in nature; it simply is to me - not ugly, not ok, not amazing, it's just trees and wildlife. It evokes no emotion at all in me. I've been around enough people (and seen enough media) to know that many people find beauty in certain things, like sunsets/sunrises, open views from tall mountains, the aurora borealis, the stars in the night sky, or the leaves changing color in the autumn.
So what is the key to appreciate and see this stuff? I've lived a few years out in the mountain area, and have hiked/walked probably a hundred trails/mountains by now, I've practiced some forms of yoga outside, have camped in the wilderness maybe a dozen times, and have had dates where we watch the sun rise. And despite any effort, I remain indifferent, lacking opinion. It just seems I'm missing out on something.
I grew up in the desert and it took me until adulthood to appreciate the beauty of the desert. I would say "familiarity breeds contempt" described my attitude toward the desert. I used to think it was like some guy dumped bleach on the landscape and ruined it. I thought all the colors were pale and washed out and especially on a harsh summer's day the landscape is so unforgiving and awful.
What helped for me is finding even the smallest thing in the desert that I liked, like the wildlife, arches, slot canyons, and petroglyphs. Then I read a book called "Secret Knowledge of Water" that explained how even in the driest places on earth, the landscape is completely dominated by the flow and passage of water. It gave me something to focus on when looking at a desert landscape and suddenly I was seeing erosion patterns and little round balls of sandstone that were formed by the wind and all kinds of interesting things. I read about desert wildlife and was so excited when I would see a chuckwalla or something rare out in the desert. I read about cryptorganic soil that is formed by bacteria and takes thousands of years to develop. I went to the great sand dunes in Alamosa and hiked in the dunes and imagined Lawrence of Arabia fighting in the desert. I learned a ton about the Anasazi people and visited many unmarked cliff dwellings and saw their petroglyphs.
For example, I'm as broke as I've ever been and worried about all the things like everyone else, BUT I'm currently snuggled under a fluffy warm blanket and I am incredibly thankful for it. I'm thankful for warmth when it's cold, for the roof over my head, for my working car, my body that (mostly) does what it needs to, for the sunshine, the blue sky, for plants and flowers, for furry kittens, happy babies, friends, family, love. There are so, SO many small things to be grateful for that can bring you moments of joy when you focus on them. You just have to make it a point to actually notice and appreciate the good things and let them warm and soothe your soul. Be present in the moment you're in, and figure out what you can be thankful for in that moment.
Go for a walk, sit on a park bench and watch, dogs doing reckless things as owners try and keep chaos to the minimum, while little kids try to learn to ride a bike or just manage to get one foot in front of the other without stumbling.
See sky, trees, houses, people, wierd stuff people out in their gardens, breath, let some of the tensions drop away a little.
Go to the library every where I've ever been, if they have a library its an oasis of calm.
Go to a cafe, remind yourself how wonderful the mundane is.
Go look at your actual world, the tangible one, the mundane one where there are hardly any surprises, the streets where you know every bland garden, remind yourself its still there and that normal is still possible and happening.
You can only carry what you can, so emotional overwhelm is going to happen if you don't put some of those emotinal burdens to one side and focus on carrying the ones you need to keep going on with life.
Parks are wonderful places to just sit for a bit, eat a sandwich, watch the birds being birds, even on cold days, wrap up warm, take a snack, sit for a bit and let go of what ever is pulling you down.
Most days I don’t even know why I’m still here. Maybe it’s the hope that someday I’ll see beauty in something? Maybe it’s the obligation I have to my friends and family to stay alive.
I’ve always been an incredibly negative person. I try to be neutral or positive, but it’s like a facade. It’s not real. I try my best; I do gratitude, I see my friends. It doesn’t matter. Life is suffering.
