Tag: moments of beauty

Limiting Beliefs; How Nature Heals

Limiting Beliefs; How Nature Heals

Terri

First, I just wanted to say a big thank you to those of you who commented on my last post, whether it be through here or on my personal Facebook page. I felt a lot of love, knowing some of you were still out there, reading whatever I have to say. So, thank you. Because of you, and how I felt that day after writing, I will continue to write.

This is my happy place.

I have a friend who is also my personal finance accountability partner, Liz. When we are thinking of making some financial choices, we bounce them off of each other. Our financial situations are very different – she lives in D.C. and makes a very good salary and JUST PAID OFF MORE THAN 100K IN STUDENT LOAN DEBT! But as you can imagine, her living expenses are much higher due to the geographical area. I make peanuts but we realize we have made different decisions about how our lives are going right now. I will say it’s great that she also loves what she does.

There are a few of these docks in this cove area but this one appears to be sinking. Not sure why they are there, honestly. You never see anyone on them. But note the stillness of the water.

Okay. I’ll get to the point. She calculated how much extra I needed to earn these next few months to be able to pay off what I estimate will be owed on my taxes. At first, I said I didn’t think I could do it. Surprisingly, this month, I think I did it. Yay! I had let my own thoughts limit me in the past in what I could achieve. However, I am FREAKING exhausted. So I have given myself today to not do any work at all. Just read, blog, and volunteer at the Peace River Wildlife Center, which has become my happy place on the weekends when I am not traveling to see my boyfriend.

I took a walk through an eco-preserve near me the other day. It’s a place where I normally jog, oh so slowly. Thursday is usually reserved for a spin class at 9 a.m. but my body and mind was just exhausted so I decided to just walk it and I was so happy to pull into the parking area and see that I was all alone, save for the park employee cleaning the bathrooms. I hope you enjoy the pictures scattered throughout this post. These images, seared into my memory, helped me get through the past two days of work. Apologies for not being a better photographer.

Wherever I end up after this lease is up in May, I will find another beautiful place that heals me. I was inspired to take this walk after seeing this YouTube video from Jane Berkel. Her channel is Simple Living Mind Body Home. I find Jane’s voice to be so calming. (Shout out to Double Digit Single Woman or DDSW for short, for turning me onto this lady’s channel. Btw, DDSW has also paid off over $150K in student loans!)

While I was walking, thoughts of work and finances occasionally made their way into my head but I pushed them out of the way. I thought to myself how nature, these trees, these leaves and the birds I could hear in the distance didn’t care about any of that. They existed anyway. Like that moment many years ago when I realized I could choose to be unhappy and feel a lot of pain every day, or I could choose to forgive myself for whatever wrong decisions or mistakes I had made, I realized I had a choice to make that day and every day.

The choice is mine. I can choose to be stressed or I can choose to be in the moment. I chose to just absorb all the beauty around me.

Note the drop of water hanging from the left-most leaf on this plant.
My attempt to take a close-up of the rainwater and dew that had collected on top of the leaves.
Note the upturned roots of the red mangrove tree in the water. Mangroves are so important to the southwestern Florida ecosystem. So many animals make their homes in this small area.
Many of the trees have these “knots” or burls on them. They don’t harm the tree. The tree will die from natural causes. They are thought to have formed from either an injury, or a mold or insect infestation. But again, they do not harm the tree. (Sorry for the awful quality of this photo!)
Here you can see how well-developed the mangrove tree’s root system is, as well as see many more of the burls mentioned above. While the bark of this tree may not look red, it is very close to the shoreline, so I believe it is a red mangrove tree. So named because its inner bark is red in color.
Moments of Beauty

Moments of Beauty

Terri

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I love this photo of Morgan because she looks like she is smiling.  Luckily, I get to see her do this every day.  As humans, we should strive to smile more and live in the moment like her.

 

One thing I’ve known about in the past but which has really hit home as I pursue the program in humane education is that people react much better to something positive, or something beautiful, something small and simple that they can relate to, rather than an abstract whole world problem, something they have trouble picturing.

So below are my ideas of what are truly moments of beauty:

  1. Reading a facebook post of a friend who has recently become a mom via adoption, after years of trying to become pregnant.  She broke down in tears when in a store with her child strapped to her chest, seeing all the Christmas decorations and realizing that this year, she wouldn’t face the holidays with sadness in her heart, but with a feeling of fullness and pure joy.
  2. The turning of the leaves from green to gold and bright red and orange.  Realizing that New England doesn’t have a monopoly on beautiful fall foliage, after all.
  3. The amazement you feel at seeing one or two wild sunflowers still finding the courage to grow, weeks after the rest have died.
  4. The warmth of the sun on your face while you lie on your back and look up through the trees at the blue sky above you.
  5. The sound of children playing together at a party in the park, cheering for one little girl who *almost* makes that one perfect hit to the piñata that will grant all of them a good deal of candy.
  6. Seeing your dog literally smiling because she has found a home with people who really love her.
  7. Writing to further my dreams and listening to one of The Herd (Snuggles, to be exact), barking while he’s deep into a dream, nestled at my feet.

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My phone’s camera doesn’t do the redness of the leaves justice.  It was amazing!

 

What are some moments of beauty that you’ve recently observed or felt in your life?  Please feel free to share them in the comments.  And if you’ve liked this post, or know someone who might benefit from reading it, please hit “Like” and then share it!

And as always, thank you for reading.