This is how I view the world. Not to say that every sunset is an explosion of red and gold, but that there is beauty all around us that we take for granted way too often. We find ourselves mired in the petty minutiae of our daily lives. Deadlines, office politics, relationship woes, familial disputes. All of it gnaws away at our personal sense of innocence and wonder and leaves behind something lessened and jaded. Or at least that’s the way I feel from time to time.
I find it way too easy at times to lose myself in the day-to-day life, overlooking the wondrous world around me. The world has so much to offer around every corner, yet I get weighed down with “being an adult” and have to marvel at how I squandered my youth (do most people think that way?). As an adult, I have responsibilities to myself and my loved ones, which I often regard solely in a financial sense. I forget that my loved ones want my time, my love, they want me more than anything else I can give them. This misrepresentation of worth leads to feelings of inadequacy when financial support ceases to be “enough.” I reel dramatically and have to find my bearings all over again. Then, once I remember that a simple kindness can be as powerful as a monetary gift, things start to feel right with the world.
Granted, not everyone is like this. There are plenty of selfless people out there, striving to make the world a better, happier place at their own expense of time and/or money. Maybe one day I’ll find myself in a position to give more of myself to those around me, be they friends, family, coworkers, or random strangers from whom I have no intention of receiving any kind of thanks or recognition. I say (and have been saying for years) that I’m too selfish with my time. Yes, I realize that I’m 32 at the time I’m writing this, but I really do feel like I’ve just recently come into my own within the last three years. So maybe it’s okay for me to be selfish a bit longer (I suppose there will always be things I’ll be selfish about).
But sharing how I see the world isn’t one of them. I want to show people beautiful things, or at least show them the beauty I see in things.
This is the world that I know. End of rant.
1 Comment
Brian, your philosophy is as refreshing as a gentle breeze, and as rare as unobtanium. Another thing regarding the use of time to help others…although you expect nothing in return, it eventually comes back to you a hundred-fold. 🙂 Thanks for sharing these thoughts!