Beauty and Joy

Hello!

Now that I’m back from my break it’s time to get back to CHOOSEDAYs!

This week I don’t think there really is a theme, just reflection on my time away…

I was fortunate to visit some very special places on my journey and nearly all of them for the first time! I traveled from Penrith to the Cairngorms, up to Ullapool, across the Minch to Lewis and Harris, down to Skye and back through the highlands to Loch Lomand before returning home. What really struck me about these places was their breathtaking beauty. At every corner, just when I thought it couldn’t get any more spectacular, there it was again. The gasp of awe!! It really got me thinking about a lot! But most importantly, I feel, is that we really have to give ourselves permission to stop. To take in our surroundings. To acknowledge what beauty is out there just waiting for us to see it. It can be in the biggest view, the tallest mountain, the whitest sand, the bluest sea or the brightest rainbow. But it can also be the smallest leaf, the standing stone, a flower, a shell or pebble. But if we don’t stop and look, we will never see the true beauty. So next time you are rushing around, feeling anxious or stressed because there is so much to do and you’re feeling overwhelmed or exhausted at the thought of it all… Stop!! Take a breath. Take a step back. Look all around you and take note of what you see. Take a moment to behold! Without beauty there is no joy and we all need a little joy!! 🐉💚