Writing and Photography by Jeff E. Brown

Most of society would agree that all beauty lies with the young, or perhaps, in nature or art. It’s a narrow view that has evidence to support it, but I’d say beauty can exist in anyone or anything simply because it is all dependent on perspective.

So often our perspective is filtered only through the stresses and experiences we have. To truly see beauty, I believe you have to be open to possibilities. You have to be willing to experience a moment of awe, of wonder. That moment is frequently snuffed out by the demands of modern life and it is fractured even more in our reliance on technology. The medium is often the message, but to sense the quiet, majestic moments you have to have to be present.

How many times in a week would you say you are truly present? I’m not talking about staying awake in your sixth virtual meeting of the day, but doing something as simple as setting aside a window of time each day where you let your eyes wander and your thoughts drift to the elements of wonder that you might have missed. The way the light pools on that spot you walk by every day or the relief you feel breathing deeply and letting your mind just drift anywhere it wants to go.

It’s not a dippy aphorism or training we need to pay for from a coach. It is realizing that beauty can be a fleeting thing that we never considered, not just a pretty, wrinkle-free person on our feed we see when we are scrolling. Apps don’t equate to living and beauty takes so many forms that don’t fit in a hashtag or even manifest in a way that can be captured for posterity. Beauty is all of us. In the value we place on what we see and what we experience. Don’t let it pass you by.

© 2022 Jeff E. Brown. All rights reserved.