Three Lessons of Beauty

Driving through a wonderland of colors

Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life. -Mark Twain

In this year, where the world has turned upside down, bright lights in the middle of winter bring us so much joy. We have noticed that more people in our neighborhood have put up holiday lights, and we enjoy seeing them every evening. It creates an abundance of color and beauty, enriching our experience. On this 100-day journey, as I study the abundance of this world, I find a reason every day to be grateful for the overflow that shows up in so many forms.

It is always about what we do have, not what we do not. Choosing to focus on the beauty of this season brings happiness to my heart. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to enjoy. As a family, we decided to go to the drive-through zoo lights this year. In other years this was an event where you walk through the displays of lights. However, this year they have created a different experience. We were able to drive through the zoo while seeing animal-shaped lights, among other delights.

Here are three things we learned last night through our experience:

Togetherness:

I am learning that abundance can be a feeling as well as an outward manifestation. Last night as we wound through the line of cars to enter the zoo, we experienced the joy of being together. We had fun talking about the times, so many months ago, that we used to go to restaurants. My son and I used to go out to a late lunch every Wednesday. We told stories, laughed, and joked. At one restaurant, he loved to combine lots of flavors at the drink machine to concoct his own creation. We wondered if drink machines would ever come back.

We talked about trips we took together. We laughed about the Disney cruise we took to Alaska, where all the crew members had big Mickey hands! We always knew where our cruise ship was because of that. We bonded over the other times we went to zoo lights when it was freezing cold. We were actually very glad that this year we could stay warm and cozy while enjoying the displays. These conversations, in a place devoid of any distractions, were a gift.

Laughter:

When we saw the gorilla light with the red eyes, we all had a good laugh! It was fun to think about a haunted gorilla in the middle of the zoo. At one point, all that was showing was glowing red eyes! Scary! My son Adam had such fun capturing this in a photo. We also enjoyed the dancing purple parade of gorillas in another area. My son joked about how there were mythical creatures now at the zoo, and he couldn’t wait to go back to see them in person someday.

Delight:

The best thing about last night was how delighted my son was with the experience. He talked about going to this event for days. Right now, it is so important to create lots of things to look forward to. We decided that it was worth it to all pile into the car late on a Wednesday night to go and enjoy the lights. Our tickets were for 9 pm, so it was a bit late for us to be out during the week, but the fun that we had was well warranted.

My prayer and my intention for you today is that you open yourself up to delight in new experiences. Take in the joy that surrounds you every day. Abundance is about beauty, togetherness, and laughter. Find ways to experience these often. Bring beauty into your world.

Day #36: What beauty can you let enter your world?

I am tagging some amazing fellow writers on this journey. They joined me on my 100-day spiritual journey and it is an honor to have them here on this journey. I ask that you read their beautiful work here on Medium. Thank you for your generosity! Bob Jasper, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Rasheed Hooda, Jenine Bsharah Baines, Amy Marley, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Chowa Sekai, Michele Thill, Terry Mansfield, Tony Young, Jr., Dr John Rose, Vishnu*s Virtues, Noma Dek, Neha Sandhir S, Isha Tewari Srivastava, Art Bram, Joe Luca, Tree Langdon, Sherry S, Melissa Bee, Annelise Lords, Suntonu Bhadra, Henery X, Lanu Pitan, Selma, Annick Batamuliza, Taha Abbas, and many more! Thank you Illumination, Genius in a Bottle, Paper Poetry, and Medium Family!

Trista Signe Ainsworth is a Professional Organizer at Joyful Minimalism. She guides clients on a personal growth journey through their homes.

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