Take Time To Enjoy Your World

It has been said that only boring people ever get bored. I think there's a lot of truth in that saying. People who are easily bored lack a healthy curiosity about the world around them. Some people go all their lives without awareness of things that make other people's lives more enjoyable.

It is a given that birds know how to build nests, nests that sometimes are so intricate, humans would fail miserably at attempting to build one. Half the beauty of watching a bird build a nest is unseen. That beauty lies in the pondering of the miracle of it all. How does a bird know how to build a nest? It wasn't born at nest building time, so it didn't learn by watching. The instructions for nest building are inherent. They came with the bird. The beauty here is in the curiosity and mystery as to how survival and reproduction techniques are passed along from generation to generation. What external factors trigger the urge to build a nest? Half of the beauty of this world is our own curiosity about it.

How many of you have ever considered the path of the Sun? By talking with others, I have learned that a lot of, if not most, people are totally unaware that during the Summer, the Sun's path crosses the sky, straight overhead, while during the Winter months, The Sun's path is barely above the Southern horizon.

Years ago, on a late Fall evening, I was walking with a lady friend across her courtyard. I said, 'Chris, have you ever seen the Sun and the Moon in the sky at the same time? She replied, 'No, silly, and you haven't either'. I pointed to the western horizon and said, 'Do you see the Sun over there? She replied, 'Yes'. I turned to the eastern horizon and said, 'Do you see the Moon over there? She turned and looked. In astonishment, she replied, "Well, I'll be darned!"

Some Winter scenes are quite beautiful. I still prefer the warmer months. As early as Fall, I begin looking for signs of Spring. How many of you know that, at the same time the Maple tree sheds it's leaves, it is pushing out buds which will remain unopened until Spring. Squirrels relish these buds during Winter.

I could go on and on about things I observe in the world around me, things which give my life more meaning and fulfillment. I've said it before, 'Some people are without the capacity to appreciate beauty'. For those who do have it, be mindful to always take advantage of it. I firmly believe that as we age, how contented we are, often depends on whether we have kept alive, that curiosity we had as a child.

The gift of a five hundred dollar concert ticket, or the totally free chance to watch the beauty and wonder of a baby discovering it's own toes? I know which I would choose. Being frugal has unlimited advantages. It can help free up your time to enjoy a world you might not have been consciously aware of, before.

(Thanks to my great, great niece for this precious moment.)