Beauty: The Word to Guide Me Through 2021

BEAUTY. That's the word.  Why?  If I were to describe what I had projected for 2020, just of the top of my head, it would include words like 'family'; 'friendships' 'travel' 'festivals' 'exploring'. But, rather, 2020 turned out to be a year full of surprises, and not in a good way.  For many, it was nothing short of an exhausting marathon, as some described it, nothing short of a dumpster fire.  I'm not convinced that 2021 isn't going to look much the same way. 

 

2020 was filled with a constant need for me to remind myself to be calm, find focus and remember that, even in the midst of turmoil, there is incredible beauty all around us. Every single day.  Sometimes we simply need to close our eyes to all the negativity and open them to a new perspective, perhaps wearing our rose-tinted glasses.

Once I've settled on a word, a usually google it to see what comes up.  When I looked at images, imagine my surprise when I scrolled through nothing but photos of beautiful women, Even the very definition of the word left me stumbling over phrases like 'the loveliness of a woman' and 'appreciation your imperfections'.  I tried 'natural beauty' which started off pretty well:  Natural beauty is born naturally beautiful.  Beauty is a relative word. Okay, I can go along with that but then it goes on to say, 'In some races, high cheekbones are considered beautiful and in some chubby cheeks are called beautiful.'  You lost me. Even 'natural beauty' is described as one with attractive features Frankly, I had to dig fairly deep before I finally hit upon a phrase that sums up the word, 'beauty' for me. Simple  Beauty is rooted in both nature and science. . . . I won't take it any further than that because sadly, it's the first line on a website advertising skincare products. By now, I'm sure you're getting my drift.  

I know the World is filled with shallow people; sadly, the media literally banks on the fact that most of us do not think deeply. About anything.  Is that statement really true? Oh, I hope not!  Perhaps many of us suffer from an unhealthy attachment to the media. Perhaps we give it too much credibility.  

If 2020 resulted in one positive outcome for me, it was that I felt obliged to give up watching the news along with the daily COVID 19 updates. I still read a bit of the news.  That's a media I can control.  While I haven't weaned myself completely from local/provincial politics, I've tried hard to vastly reduce it.  I've curtailed my time on social media and I'm actually getting pretty darn good at scrolling past posts that do little more than inflame.  Yes, I fall in on occasion, and it's never with one foot, always two; often headfirst. What can I say; I'm a work in progress.

When it comes to social media these days, I'm much more drawn to humour and beautiful pictures. They might be of beautiful horses, beautiful dogs, beautiful places, beautiful art. It helps to calm my mind and soothe my soul.  I read more.  I walking more. I relish the beauty in time spent alone with my thoughts.  I bask in the beauty of gratitude. I spent a lot more time with my partner and am thankful that we not only love each other but like each other too! While I may not see my family and friends as much as I would like, I relish every minute of the time I do spend with them. 

We are surrounded by beauty every single minute of every single day.  It's just a matter of perspective. I may not be exactly where I want to be; I still have some growth to do.  But there is certain grace in being where I am at the moment and, even though the struggle is real, there is a certain beauty in every single victory, large or small.

There you have it!  Beauty is all about perspective.  Look for it and you shall indeed find it.

Resources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/lifestyle/2020-in-one-word/
https://simple-beauty.com/about
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/what-the-advantages-of-being-a-natural-beauty