L is for Looking

In the course of a day, our busy eyes process   

innumerable objects and images. Faces, flowers and 

facts float before us in a frantic bid to catch our 

attention. 

No sooner is an 

item noted than our 

eyes 

are drawn away  to 

something else.

Life can seem like  a flickering  television drama, 

darting quickly from scene to scene, with frequent

explosions of commercials in between, all happening at 

breakneck speed. No wonder we feel time is 

running away from us.

And while we spend our lives looking 

at things, we miss so much of what 

is right in front of us. 

I have 

learned that looking with the heart 

and head, as well as the eyes, can 

slow the world down for a much-

needed break in the day's 

busyness.

Every now and then, stop for a bit. Stand quietly 

and look around you. I guarantee that wherever you 

are, there will be something lovely to capture your 

imagination..

                        The multi-hued brilliance of autumn leaves...

lacy shadows on a woodland trail...

a row of robust pumpkins
 at the greengrocer's.. 

the pleasing symmetry of a

weathered, wooden bridge...

old boots who've 

found a second

home as 

planters...

afternoon sun on 

a pretty vase...

a perfect reflection of 

clouds...

the sweet grace of a garden ornament...

and dappled light as it twirls on sunlit water...

Even vintage film canisters stand to 

attention and beg to be noticed 

when we look their way.

Above all, gaze often at the faces   

of the ones you love. They will be 

the most beautiful and important 

things your eyes will see in a day... 



I am linking to the wonderful ABC Wednesday, where 

you will find many other takes on the letter 'L'.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.ca/

Old Boots

Although I have captured many beautiful sights at home and abroad with my trusty camera, today my attention is caught by boots: old boots…recycled boots…in particular, a grungy pair of Doc Martens that gave my son many good years of service before being reluctantly abandoned. The wear of time shows on them clearly…they are scuffed beyond repair and losing their soles…yet something in me hesitated to throw them out when they were finally replaced. Instead, I plopped into each boot a small perennial salvaged from the shade of a tree…and together, plants and boots have happily settled in and flourished on my back porch.

It can be said that I have an affinity for things old and decrepit, a trait more noticeable in my personality as I come closer to having those same words used to describe me! As an adjective, “beautiful” is more often used to denote things that are fresh, new and young. Flashy cars…spacious homes…a childlike complexion…all are examples of what can fill us with awe and arouse our covetous natures. We are seduced to believe we can enrich our lives by the acquisition of such wonders, if only we prove worthy of them.

Yet in my quest for all things lovely, I have always looked to the old …old friends…old music…old books…and old boots. Old boots keep me humble. Old boots remind me that beauty is not only in the eye of the beholder, it is also to be found in the everyday and the ordinary. Age does not diminish beauty nor preclude usefulness. There is beauty in comfort…in familiarity…in the knowledge that some things can be depended on to remain the same in a society where change is our one constant.

Embrace beauty at all ages and your life will become richer in what really matters...