I was at the eye doctor a little while back. As I was wandering around their expansive lobby waiting for my name to be called, I saw an ornate, multi-color glass vase on a rotating pedestal inside a locked display case. It got me to thinking. Value, it seems, is all about perception.
If you put flowers in a vase and place it on the table, most of the time no one pays any attention to the glass container other than to make sure there's enough water so the bouquet doesn't wilt prematurely. However, take that same vase and place it behind glass on a pedestal like the one in the doctor's office and all of a sudden it's an objet d'art. It's now worthy of attention, study, and even acclaim. It made me start wondering just how many things in my world I am taking for granted because they are merely "holding flowers."
What kinds of beauty or amazingness are we passing up every day just because we don't see them in the right light so to speak? It could be something that we walk by blithely every day, but it might just as easily be a person we're failing to notice.
And just like we don't notice the subtle changes of our own age or weight because we live with ourselves every day, I thought to myself that we might tend to miss the little things of beauty that surround us in our lives because they are constantly right in our faces. The unwavering dedication of a spouse, the unquestioning love of a pet, the true privilege of having a beautiful home in a safe neighborhood. So the question becomes, how do we get back to paying attention and noticing them? My only guess is that just like the old saying goes, we've got to stop and smell the roses. It's a matter of choice.
So I'm going to try to notice the beauty in the little things. I'm going to acknowledge the beauty that is my wife every night rather than just put down my book, take off my glasses, roll over, and go to sleep. I'm going to go outside and appreciate my neighborhood. Because when you really stop to notice it, the vase is what helps make the bouquet of flowers truly beautiful.
- S Chavez