Perfection – Day 583

Perfection

Nope. This blog post is not about my desire for perfection. In fact, while I pretty relentlessly strive to do the best I can at whatever I’m doing, I would not call myself a perfectionist.

In fact, I think I have just enough, “Who gives a sh&*” of an attitude, to keep me honest (if not humble).

No, the title for tonight’s blog is ‘Perfection’ because of the remarkable beauty of the tree I photographed the other day.

Looking a Different Direction

Usually when Karl and I are walking along the particular stretch of road that this tree stands beside, our attention is almost always directed away from this tree. We’re almost always looking in the opposite direction.

When we look to our right as we walk along this road, our view is of vast open fields and a panoramic sky, usually occupied by at least a handful of clouds and almost always a breathtaking sunset.We are often distracted by the ever changing vista. The colors of each sunset are captivating in the variety of their unique palettes. Sometimes it’s hard not to see at least three different figures at a time in the clouds.

It’s not uncommon for us to see herds of deer grazing, flocks of geese or ducks stomping around in puddled water, and even occasionally a fox or two darting into the underbrush.

Appreciation

But the other day, I happened to look to my left. I should be clear: I happened to make a point of looking to my left and really seeing what was there. And wow.

Here it is:

I exclaimed to this tree how absolutely perfect it is. I gushed over its beauty and apologized for not noticing it sooner. Actually, I have given it a glance a handful of times over the years, but I don’t know that I ever had as extended a conversation with it as I did the other day.

Then I took its photo.

I do believe this tree is an example of perfection – and I told it so. But it was only when I got home and really had a chance to look at the photo that I realized it had swelled with pride and delight itself. I’m telling you: this tree responded to my compliments and appreciation, and its joy was captured in this photo.

This is a photograph of one happy, loved, and appreciated representative of the ‘standing tall people.’

Find a tree in your neighborhood. Maybe look in a different direction than you normally do. Or see with fresh eyes. You might be surprised by what you discover.

Give it some love – and see what happens. Watch it flourish. Notice how giving that appreciation to another Being makes you feel.

(T-528)