Pay Attention!

Beauty's Contribution

“Pay attention to the beauty surrounding you...It's a great time to be alive.”

Anne Lamott

A couple of nights ago, I drove my cousin, Sandy, through some of the small villages that make up Birmingham—Homewood, English, Mountain Brook, Crestline. All were lit-up for Christmas with strings of lights along the streets and up the bare trees. I am not a “Christmas-light person,” (one that believes the more lights and junk out in the yard the better), but even for me, it was a magical sight. Somehow, those little crystal lights create a fairy tale illusion—a mystical Charles Dickens' village. I found myself, instead of tut-tutting about the excesses and pretentiousness of it, truly enjoying being in that beautiful space. I reminded myself that I had a choice—I could go negative or go positive—it's up to me. I chose the latter.

It's the same way with whatever we do at Christmas time, from shopping, to baking, to wrapping, to standing in long lines at the Post Office. We can choose to be grouchy, or we can choose to take it in stride and appreciate the season of giving. We can look around at the other people who are standing there with their packages, too, and see it as a fraternity of “standing-in-line-people” bound together by good intentions. When we gather around the tree, or around the table, we can simply appreciate the people in our life who make it what it is, and give thanks for them—even the ones we don't like very much play a role in our identity. They are the grist in our mill, the sand in our oyster that produces the pearl of great value.

I have to remind myself of these choices every day—other people do not control my mood or cause me to have a good day or a bad day—that's on me. I can meet them with love, or with dislike, or with disinterest—whichever I choose. If I meet them with love, and appreciate their unique beauty, I'm likely to have a much better day than if I meet them with disdain. This season—whichever holiday you are celebrating—remember that you have choices, and that those choices will determine how you feel about yourself and others. If we can immerse ourselves in the beauty and good will of this season, those will be our reality. What a great time to be alive!

                                                            In the Spirit,

                                                               Jane