Category: Journal

Written June 1, 2015

Looking for unexpected beauty

As you know, I like to walk.  When I walk, I look for beauty and joy.  Today, on vacation, I walked out toward the beach, there was a wild yellow daisy flower in bloom in the sand dunes.  It was beautiful!   I learned by online research that its name is beach dune daisy (Helianthus debilis).  Finding beauty in unexpected places is a habit I try to cultivate.  When such a serendipity happens, it always makes me philosophical too because I think the experience confirms one of my maxims for life.

“Always be looking for and appreciate unexpected sparks of joy!”

One’s approach to a walk is a clue to how you live

I’ve observed in this regard that one can learn much about a person’s approach to life from the way they approach a trail walk.

• I meet some people who are always walking with friends. That tells me that they are people-persons who are energized as much by the conversation as by the walk.   I bet they appreciate connectedness in other areas of life too.
• Other walkers and runners are always alone. There might be many reasons but at the very least they don’t mind being alone.   More probably, like me, they relish it as a time for thinking or just drinking in from nature or perhaps praying, as I sometimes do.   These kind of people find joy in times of quiet.
• Some people out on the trails are out more to “get the job done,” the task of getting in their exercise, that is. They usually have earbuds and don’t want to even give you the time of day lest you delay them.  I imagine they are very task oriented people in other phases of life as well.  I always pity them in a way as they miss so much by seldom stopping to look or listen.   I’ve observed that it is hard for very task-oriented people to find a rhythm in life that includes time for contemplation.   But they might reply to me that they enjoy the physical high that comes from aerobic exercise.

Have you noticed that people view the conditions for walking differently too.

• I comment to some about the day and they will always be enthusiastic about what a great day it is to walk, even on winter days. These have learned to enjoy the moment.
• Other people find something wrong on the best of days; they may note the bugs or the heat or the cold or the rough trail or too many bicyclers or doggy dodo or whatever. Though, frankly, those kind are usually not consistent walkers.

There’s a difference in what is appreciated on the walk too.

• Some are always observing whatever nature has to offer that day.
• Others are not observant of nature at all.
• Some may be only looking for deer and so most days they are disappointed as one only very occasionally sees one while on the trail.

Appreciate the joys the moment brings

It’s the same in life.  Some are constantly discovering new blessings in different areas of their lives.    Other people seem only to be able to focus on troubles; the bugs and poison ivy patches of life seem to be everywhere for them.    Still others are looking only for one or two kinds of rewards in life so they are frequently disappointed as usually the kinds of things they look for are infrequent occurrences.

Michael Cannon Loehrer put it this way, “If people only allow their hearts to enjoy what delights them, they will soon become bored most of the time.  If we train our hearts to find joy in drudgery, we will rest content with whatever comes our way and our lives will remain on an even keel.  Complainers bounce between ever increasing extremes of delight and despair” (From the book “Porch Talk with Gramps on Parenting: A Framework for a Functional Family”).

For example, I love to observe birds.  And thankfully spring days like we have been having in May are the peak of the season for that.    But not every day or every walk is ideal for bird watching.  For example, one day, I forgot the binoculars.  Don’t ask me how, but it happened.   So I watched for what I could see with the naked eye.  I peeked over the bridge over Salmon Creek and thought I saw movement.  So I moved to the other side and had the privilege of watching a young mink forage along the edge of the stream for five or ten minutes, a once in a lifetime event.  If I had remembered the binoculars I probably would not have looked in the streambed.  I chose to enjoy what was available and was rewarded.

Another day it was windy and my walk happened midday, neither of which is best for birding.   But the sun was out and so were the reptiles.  That day a tree frog hopped across my path and I saw a black snake sunning himself on the edge of the road.   I took pictures of both.  I chose to watch what was moving and enjoyed the walk more for it.  Choosing to look for the joys a moment offers is a great habit to cultivate.  As I say:

“Always be looking for and appreciate unexpected sparks of joy!”

I’m posting a few pictures of things I’ve seen on walks, especially flowers found in unlikely places or trees growing in unusual forms.   I call this gallery “Serendipities.”

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