Sunday, July 3, 2016

on finding beauty

Two summers ago I was living in a darling townhouse in Greensboro, North Carolina ... one of my favorite places that I've ever lived. A cute 1920s-ish duplex with original hardwood floors, really lovely scallop-detail on the staircase, and FOUR closets. Four. Giant. Closets. Oh how I weep when I think of leaving those closets. Not to mention the price tag. I was living there in 800 square feet of bliss for less than half of what I'm paying for my glamorous New York apartment. Le sigh ...

That summer was the beginning of a lot of change for me. I was still recovering from the epic car crash and death of Lucy the Escape {god rest her soul}, I was preparing for a big move to New York, and I was coming to terms with the end of a longterm relationship. There was this one night though in the midst of all of the chaos that I found one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen or have seen since.

There was a fence that ran along the west side of the townhouse and it was covered in this giant grapevine. And it was FULL of fireflies. Literally full. I would sit outside on the porch and watch it for hours until I had to go inside from exhaustion. Each night that summer at dusk, I witnessed the most spectacular light show I think I've ever seen in my life. It was positively magical.

Living in the city can be really hard. So many people, so much dirt, it's so hot and sweaty and expensive. But it's also a really magnificent place. This city is full of energy and beauty and history. I'm constantly intrigued and inspired by the centuries full of people who have walked on the very same streets I do every day, past the very same buildings ... What were their stories and where did they go? Who did they love? What were they passionate about? It sounds really strange, but I feel connected to them and this glorious city.

One of the things I try to do in my life everyday is to look for beauty. Something unexpected or away from the ordinary. Like the little boy who turned his brother into a super hero last July 4th, or the gorgeous tulip tree around the corner from my first NY apartment, or the way the sun sets perfectly over the Hudson as I leave my yoga studio. Beauty is all around us, if we just take the time to look.

The last six months have been positively chaotic. Wonderful but chaotic. And sometimes I forget to stop and look. Or I get busy ... but these last two nights, I've found myself on my fire escape as the sun sets. It's been an unusually cool summer {I'm so not complaining} and the breeze is almost chilly even in early July. And as the day gives way to night, the sky turns magnificent shades of blue and pink and red. And it's the most beautiful thing. It leaves me feeling alive and in awe.

So this is a reminder to myself that I need to stop every now and then and find beauty because my life is so much better when I do.