Our world is a place of magnificent beauty, existing all around us yet so rarely appreciated. We are too busy, it seems, to stop for a moment and savor the sweet flavor of being, yet there it all is, great and small, whether we stop to notice it or not. There is the obvious beauty of a golden sunset or a majestic mountain, and there is the far more subtle beauty of a beetle on a tree branch or a p
atch of moss on a shaded stone. Yet all of these are wondrous-- every fallen leaf, every bit of earth around us proclaims its place in the grand scheme of existence. While it is easy to sit and admire something so impressive as a sunset, it is the little things that truly show us that in the great mandala of being, every one of us is an important part. Through them we may realize that if the merest pebble can possess such strength, that if the bend of a twig can display such grace, then they, and we, must be integral elements in the artful pattern of the universe. Their beauty is as amazing as that of a starry night, no less so for their diminutive size. In these small things we may find ourselves and come to recognize the beauty that surrounds us. Our world is an amazing symphony of sights and sounds, sensations beyond measure. It would benefit us greatly, both individually and as a whole, to take the time to appreciate its wonder.
