Appreciator of Beauty

I would feel more confident about writing a blog post at this time if I felt like I had anything useful to say. As is, I yearn to create beauty in some way, shape, or form, but alas, all I seem capable of doing at this time is to soak in the beauty around me, and while the world needs appreciators of beauty, it would be nice if I could be a creator of it as well. I cannot paint but I enjoy using my crayons. I am not much of a musician but I can make decent music; according to my host-mom last week, I made her out-of-tune piano sound good. I am a writer by my own definition. I call myself a poet, but I am only an ex-poet, nor have I written any books or stories, my writings are currently limited to almost only letters and blog posts and my journal. I am also unfortunately not quite vain enough to work to make myself much of a spectacle of beauty; I am not humble or selfless, but I am usually modest and make-up is usually a hassle.

However, I view the world around me as thriving with beauty, absolutely flourishing. I see hills and valleys covered with the many shades of green trees, fields full of flowers, lightning bugs filling the night air, stars in the vast sky. I feel the the caress of raindrops and sunshine, of the earth take my weight when I choose mud and grass over pavement, the gentle touch of a friend who loves me. Listening to the music other people make, and the music of birds and all of nature, that is good enough for me. Ought I not be still and listen? Shouldn't I open my eyes wide and drink in the world around me, or close them to enhance what I can feel? Does this world even need more beauty? Is what little I have to give worth anything at all in the entirety of this breath-taking creation?

Of course I know that life on this planet can be very ugly indeed, and I do not intend to say otherwise, but must both beauty and ugliness be discussed at once? Just because I would care to write about beauty tonight does not mean that I disregard completely the ugliness of sin and death and hatred and things of that nature. It is simply a subject for another day. For now, I rejoice in life as beautiful as peacock feathers and as wide and deep as the ocean, or perhaps even outer space. As clear as the voice of a bird, or maybe a woman, singing confidently into the air that is shared with trees. Yes, this is the reality that I embrace this evening, I delight in it, I smile at it, God is good.