Re-seeing those you love
17 comments so far
A beautiful post over at Lives Less Ordinary suggests that we don’t need to visit the Seven Wonders of the World to appreciate the world in which we live. In fact, Amy suggests stepping back, taking a deep breath and “allowing your eyes to drink in the unique beauty of what surrounds you.” (She’s much more poetic than I, so be sure to check out her post.)
I’d like to take the liberty to expand on the concept a bit more to include our loved ones. It doesn’t take much to get caught up in doing things and slip into auto-pilot mode forgetting to appreciate what (and who) is right in front of us.
I love pausing and just watching my son’s curiosity (he just turned a year old) as he explores our small apartment, learning new things. He’ll closely examine something in his little hands, head down in concentration. Then he’ll waddle around a bit then look up at me and smile. I love it.
I love to stop and watch my wife, to really look at her. I notice the way her hair hangs down next to her face because it won’t stay tucked behind her ear, and the color of her eyes when they catches the light that comes through the window. It’s during the times of repose that I enjoy watching her most, when she’s reading a book or writing in her planner. Of course, I also fall more in love with her when she’s dancing around the room, rocking out to Guitar Hero. :)
What’s the point of this, besides being all gushy-lovey-dovey? Only this: we don’t need trips to Disneyland or cruises to reconnect with those we love and care about. We can appreciate them and strengthen our relationships with them simply by taking a moment to recognize all the reasons we love them in the first place.
This post was a bit on the personal side, I hope you don’t mind.
Thanks for reading.
LivSimpl
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Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 10:39 am and is filed under Family, Gratitude, Simple Pleasures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Wonderful perspective! I feel that my son has taught me more than I can ever pay for at a spiritual seminar…
It is also important to take the time to tell the special people in your life that you love them. I think that we sometimes take for granted that they know that. But nothing sounds better to my ears than having my children or husband tell me that they love me!
What you are saying is so important to do. I went through a time when I focused on the negative aspects of my hub. Then I realized I needed adjust and focus on all those wonderful things about him and give him the grace I would give any other person. That really propelled our relationship forward to more intimacy and closeness. I remembered the things that mattered which was that there is nothing that he wouldn’t do to love and protect me, that he has always been very supportive, that he is a real gentleman, that he has a great heart. I am a lucky gal to have him. So give your spouse a break and look at the goodness inside.
There is a lot of hidden beauty, even right under our noses. What a powerful post.
Be sure to check out my recent post about creating zen gardens.
http://zenplease.com/creating-your-own-zen-garden/
Thanks to everyone for the comments!
Becky - An excellent point!
Laurie - Thanks for sharing your experience.
Damien - You got it.
Not “gushy-lovey-dovey” David: wonderfully sage advice.
I am still in edit mode with the posting I started on Amy’s exercise and will be posting it later. I had read your comment at Amy’s place and you influenced me then too (yesterday) for my draft does include some thoughts about my family. I did a sorta-halfway-there post this morning for now: http://snurl.com/2e6hh
This is a very powerful and beautiful post, David. I hope my husband sees me in a similar light :-)
I dont mind personal - I just read this and went *sigh* I oughtta call my mom and tell her how much I appreciate her. This is simple and beautiful and started my morning off right :) <3
Great post, and how true! I love drinking in those moments watching our little one explore, play, interact when he doesn’t know I’m looking.
My hubby and I try and get out on dates when we can, but this past weekend we decided instead of doing the whole dinner and movie thing, we would just “be”. No movie to distract us, or hustle and bustle to get back before our time is up with the sitter. We’ve simply planned to have a day next weekend together where we do nothing. We’re both really excited about it, and I am sure it will go well!
This can act as a great reminder to us all. It’s all about the little things in life… the simple pleasures. Beauty is only seen if you take time to notice it.
Great article, David!
What a well-written post!
We could all use a gentle reminder like this, every once in a while, to help us appreciate the “here and now”…
Keep up the good work, Dave.
Thanks everyone for your kind comments.
Norda - Good idea!
I’m glad your apart of our family now Dave….and I’m so grateful that you love and take care of my sister!
Thanks!
Twice in my life I have had these strange moments where I seemed to forget all my ideas and preconceptions about my partner of 18 years. Each time I saw her cross a room and saw her as if for the first time. And I really loved what I saw! This undefineable quality that makes us soul mates.
Wouldnt it be great if we could always see like this?
Beautiful! I usually have these moments in the evening. As B winds down, I like to just watch him breathe and enjoy the miracle that made him my husband. (Until he tells me to stop staring because it’s creepy…) I love the overall idea here: if we actively seek pleasure in what and who we already have in our lives, we don’t have to seek out more, more, more.
[...] LivSimpl touched on one of my favorite concepts: appreciating what you already have. Here, the context is Re-seeing Those You Love. [...]
I love this post. It is so true. We often think that we need to go on expensive vacations to feel like we are spending quality time, but quality time should happen every day, finding the miraculous in the commonplace. Thanks for reminding us to open our eyes and really look at what is all around us. I’m learning that it is anything but commonplace.