21 Inner Beauty Inspirations #8

8. Appreciating natural beauty
Beauty is everywhere... in a leaf, a green tree against a blue sky, a cloud, a new shoot, a flower...
Taking a moment to appreciate a small thing of natural beauty, even if you see it so often you don't notice it any more, changes you in that moment.  In that moment I find I am transported out of my own messy brain and into a space of connectedness with the world around me.  Natural beauty is unfathomably mysterious and limitlessly wonderful.
Today my moment of appreciation was a frangipani tree laden with rich white flowers.  I only glimpsed it from the car as I drove past - but in that moment my mood shifted, I smiled, relaxed and was - for a moment - joyous.  And moments like these can change everything.
So today I remember that taking a tiny teeny moment to pause in appreciation of the wonderous beauty of nature inspires my inner beauty, makes me a better, happier, more grounded, more humble, more present, more open person.

my inner beauty project...

So... recently put it out to the world that I wanted to be struck speechless by beauty...
I meant that I wanted to fall in love, be blown away in awe and overcome with appreciation for another person.  I got four responses from friends.  One reminded me about the splendour of the world around me...which I had forgotten to appreciate this week.  One sought to give me faith that I would have that experience because I gave it to others - whether I knew it or not...  Which was both exceedingly surprising and reassuring.  One reminded me to look at my angel child... which reminded me that I am indeed deeply in love with her, and am indeed rendered speechless in appreciation on such a regular basis that I almost take it for granted now.  And the fourth urged me to look for it inside my own heart.  This one struck me most.
And I am reminded, once again, that I have indeed lost my perspective on what it is that I really need to do to find satisfaction.  I used to know these truths.  I used to know that if I am feeling unsatisfied in my life then it is inner development that is needed.  I used to be clear in the knowledge that my perception of the world is entirely the product of my own mind and its quality.  I used to be in the habit of knowing that my inner development is more important than any external achievement.  I used to commit time and energy to the quality of my mind rather than the trappings of my life.
And I am frustrated that I have forgotten these things.  I am sad that I am not living them.
So... At the same time as I am making a commitment to improving my outer self through healthy eating and exercise.... I am going to make a commitment to getting my insides back on track.
So... I make this commitment.  I am going to find one thing a day which inspires inner beauty to grow.  And I am going to blog about it.
I read once that it takes 21 days to change a habit - so this will be my challenge to myself.  21 days, 21 things to inspire inner beauty.  21 blog posts to record it.
How very exciting!