Beauty

As I continue to grow in wisdom and stature (what else would I grow in? Haha), I find more and more that we were created for beauty - among other things of course. I live in a densely populated area, which means that over the years, I have been indoctrinated into the ideology of suburban life: being born, don't break things when you're young so you don't get yelled at, grow up quickly so you can get a degree and start your career, and retire so you can get back your Social Security money and use it to get old and fat. Granted, this list is not all-inclusive, but you get the general idea.

However, within the last couple of years, a strange sort of theme has been creeping slowly but surely into my way of thinking.

Beauty.

You see, growing up and getting a degree and all that sort of thing isn't bad - as long as you keep it all in perspective. You (and by extension your life) are more than just a product of your education and what you contribute to society (or even what you contribute to the Church). You are a creation of beauty and the degree to which you believe that will most likely determine how much beauty and creativity you introduce to your immediate environment. Sounds big, but what does it all mean?

Well, let me explain. I live, breathe, work, play, etc. We all do (well, some of us don't play as much as we should). The difference is in how you do these things. When I worked at Sears & Roebuck, I was a cashier. I didn't have too much responsibility on my back, but the one thing I was in charge of was the checkout counter. So whenever I had the chance, I tried to make that counter a little better than it was before. Sometimes I would arrange the ads in an attractive way; other times I would clean and scrub the registers; other times I would clean up all the little bits of trash that seemed to accumulate over time. In other words, because I knew that I am created for beauty, I made it my mission to spread that beauty around so others could enjoy it and bask in the warmth and joy that it brings. After a while, I found myself spreading beauty without even trying!

Now, I am living in a house that is not mine and in a room that is also not my own. And even though I am constantly thinking about finding a place of my own, I try to stop and do some of the little things that make this house beautiful. Little by little, beauty is invading this house again. I don't think I'll ever stop planning for my own place and how amazingly beautiful I will make it. It will have at least one river with a waterfall and some stunningly huge trees with the cutest squirrels you could imagine...

You get the picture.

I may not be able to make that happen right now, but I CAN insert a lot of beauty into my situation, whether I live in a mansion or a prison.

John