That’s a fortune-cookie message I was handed: “Beauty surrounds you because you create it.” To me, it means that we define our own perceptions. We can make a conscious effort to see the beauty around us or we can see ugliness. Whichever we choose to see will affect our mood and ultimately our happiness.
I tucked away this fortune message in my cell phone case. This morning I found it on the floor next to my desk chair, where it had fallen. I picked it up again and read it and realized why I had kept it, and took a deep breath and decided that I would make a conscious effort to enjoy my day.
This morning I was cranky. I was delayed. Things were not going exactly the way I had planned. Everything just seemed to be a disaster.
I had to go to a court hearing and realized that the judge had not been sent a copy of the motion in advance as I had thought. I reviewed another document and it was lacking an important element. The negative aspects stuck out like sore thumbs.
I went to court and everything turned out fine after all; I won the hearing for my client despite not everything being laid out perfectly ahead of time. Because I had prepared, despite those downfalls, things unfolded in my favor.
Perfection is an impossible ideal. There is no such thing as “perfect.” No matter how hard we try, we will never get there.
My desk is a mess. No matter how many papers I clean up, more papers land on it. But my cat doesn’t seem to mind; in fact, she sees more papers as more surfaces for her to sit on.
This essay is unstructured. Imperfect. But does it matter? It is a stream-of-consciousness free-for-all, and today I will not edit and revise. If I chose to edit until it is perfect, I will never publish it. Rather, I will hit “send” and be done with it. I will move on and consider the positive. Move on to the rest of my day.
See beauty. Ugliness and beauty is only perception. Either you can see ugliness or you can see beauty. You decide. It is all in the way you look at it. And, when you see beauty as opposed to ugliness, you will ultimately be happier. If you want to be happy, choose beauty.
I am seeing beauty in my day. Beauty will surround me, because I create it. I will choose happiness. Choose beauty.
