Meeting
your soul is not a onetime event but a moment-to-moment deepening, an
ongoing rite of passage from who you thought you were to who you really
are.
—Living
From The
Inside Out
What takes your breath away? Is it a luminous sunset before twilight, a child taking his or her first wobbly step, a humming bird gathering sweet nectar, a new litter of puppies tumbling over each other, a masterfully played Mozart concerto, or witnessing a double rainbow?
If lengthy intervals have elapsed since you’ve marveled at life, you may be allowing a hectic schedule to run your life and in turn, it’s running all over you. When you mindlessly rush through the day desiring to accomplish an external goal, you have a tendency to overlook special bounties that can add to your internal fulfillment. Before long, you’re exhausted, your vitality is depleted, and you’re running on empty. You’re in a rut that limits your enjoyment and invites callousness to set in, as was true of the man in the following story.
While driving to work, a meadowlark sang but instead of cherishing the bird’s song, the man drowned the sound by turning on his car radio. Sitting in front of his computer, he deleted a message announcing the discovery of a miracle cure for a crippling disease because the man was too busy to celebrate it. At lunch, which consisted of quickly grabbing a hotdog from a street vendor, he stepped over a yellow flower growing through a crack in the sidewalk but he didn’t notice it. In the afternoon, thunder rolled across the sky and it began to rain. Although farmers cheered, the man cursed the shower because of his newly washed car. Upon arriving home, his youngest daughter proudly presented him with a pencil holder she made in art class but he brushed her aside as he rushed to answer a ringing telephone. After dinner, he walked outside to smoke a cigar and a star twinkled brightly in the midnight sky but he did not see it. Frustrated, he went to bed sad and dejected, resenting the high probability of repeating a similar performance the following day.
Do we pretend that ordinary occurrences aren’t special and therefore rob ourselves of daily fulfillment? Amid our routine encounters, could we be clinging so tenaciously to our limited perspective that we are missing everyday miracles? Might it be that life is filled with blessings and it’s our job and joy to discover them?
Our fulfillment is not just over the next hill—it’s with us in the here and now. If you take the time to enjoy life’s unpredictable journey, we can open our hearts more fully to life’s wonders. Making room for more goodness in our daily routine naturally brings more joy into our life.
Each moment presents us with another new opportunity to expand. Slow down, take a deep breath, and see life through the eyes of beauty—it’s yours for the taking. And by finding beauty in other people, places, and things, you cannot help but discover your own beauty. As a result, your attitude will reach a higher altitude.
With a greater perspective, it’s easier to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Every miracle acknowledged shapes your experiences and widens your bounty. Allow wonder and magic it to infiltrate your life and take your breath away day by day.
Feel free to share this inspirational message with friends, just keep the copyright and credits intact. If you enjoyed this article and would like more practical guidance to soulful living, read Dr. Jean-Marie Hamel’s book, Living from the Inside Out.
© 2004 Jean-Marie Hamel