Take a beauty drive
Photo Credit: Alisa Lincoln, Williamston, MI
This photo was taken on one of my beauty drives. It's something I do often to feel refreshed.
Beauty can sometimes feel elusive and far away. It can be hard to see when the lens you’re looking through is dark and depressive, but even in those moments, beauty can be found. I remember days during my divorce when I could barely put one foot in front of the other. It was a win for me if all I did positively for the day was get up, take a shower and get dressed. Often during that time, I hurt to the point of feeling numb. Sometimes I would find myself sitting, staring blankly for long periods of time feeling completely lost and unable to process the pain. It was just too much. But there were days during that time I would force myself to get up and take a drive. I often had no idea where I was going, but I would drive and take in beauty as much as I could.
I was living in Northern California at the time, so finding beautiful places was not difficult. You could practically walk out your door and be instantly surrounded by it. Sometimes the drive itself would be enough, but other times I needed to physically sit in the quiet beauty that surrounded me. There was no agenda but to just to be, and let love and beauty have its way. It would minister to me, like a healing balm. I didn’t always feel it immediately, but if I stayed long enough and just soaked it in, I would always feel its embrace. In reality, I was feeling God’s love. I was tapping into a truth bigger than my pain. Although my pain was real, deep beyond words, there was a greater truth all around me and within me - love itself. Beauty is always expressed in love because it comes from love.Â
Today, I still take those drives. I have healed so much from that time, but being aware of daily beauty is something I pursue. Beauty restores. It can be found amongst beautiful drives, but even in the smallest moments like the song of birds wafting through my windows as I write this or the flowers soaking in sunlight sitting on my kitchen table. It's a matter of taking time to be aware, to notice. The more you practice noticing beauty, honoring it by letting it touch you and not merely letting it pass without acknowledgment, the more aware you become of its presence everywhere. I’m not living in the rugged beauty of northern California now, but I find beautiful places wherever I am. I go out of my way to find them. When driving I purposely avoid highways as much as I can. Back roads are almost always better! And I often find myself stopping along those country roads taking pictures of trees, barns, flowers, rusted old farm equipment, green pastures, etc…I can’t help it. Beauty surrounds us. It’s everywhere if you’re willing to look…if you’re willing to let it reveal itself to you.Â