Snap Out of it Now!:June 2008

"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves." Salma Hayek

Dear friends,

I recently returned from 15 days in the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Seattle. Spring was just arriving – a little later than usual – and tulips as long as your arm with leaves as big as your hand covered the island in wondrous colors. While hiking up mountain paths, we relished the sight of wild flowers and fresh new growth on pine trees and bushes as bird songs delighted our ears. Walking along shorelines with two enthusiastic canine companions who ran in and out of the surf, we discovered starfish in hues I'd never seen before: purples, oranges, pinks.

Home now, I thought of that experience again as I sat drinking my morning coffee gazing at colorful spring blossoms under a crystal blue Nevada sky. And it occurred to me how precious the appreciation of beauty is. In some very essential, inexplicable way, it balances us, brings us back to ourselves, gives us the sense that "all is right with the world" and a feeling of connectedness.

In our multi-tasking world, our senses are overwhelmed and our experience numbed. We often feel disconnected from one another and even from ourselves. Beauty has the uncanny ability to draw us into fully experiencing the preciousness of that moment. And all it takes from us is a momentary pause to drink it in.

Beauty takes many forms: poignant music, wonderful art, the smile of a loved one, the filigree of a spider's web. As Confucius said, "Everything has its beauty but not everyone can see it." With our heads down and noses to the grindstone, we are often blind to the beauty that surrounds us. Yet when I remember to stop and appreciate the beauty that is all around me, my heart fills and all of my senses seem to come alive again. Whether for a few seconds or a few hours, being with beauty refreshes me and revives my feeling of connection to my true self, others, and the universe.

So I invite you to join me on a "beauty quest" over the next few weeks, a quest to discover and appreciate beauty wherever we are: a sparkle of dust on a window sill, vibrant colors of a sunset, the joyful wag of a pet's tail, the gentle touch of your lover's hand. Join me in taking a moment to drink these beautiful experiences in.

While in the San Juans, we discovered some wonderful local poets who published their poetry in local presses. I found a book by Susan Chamberlayne titled As I Breathe – Poetry of Nature. This poem, Letting Go, is one of her poems:

I hear your breath

Inflate the world.

Then sigh release of it.

All’s just that simple!

Enjoy your Beauty Quest! I'd love to hear about your experience with it.

Adrianne Ahern, Ph.D.

Performance Consultant, Keynote Speaker, and author of Snap Out Of It Now!

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P.P.S. For further tools, information and upcoming appearances, please visit my "evolving" website! www.SnapOutofitNow.com