It is kind of weird being here, in the Caribbean, whilst the Super Bowl is taking place. I start to write this… as the game approaches the fourth quarter.
I am pulling for the Broncos, but more succinctly, for Peyton Manning. What’s not to like about THAT guy. He just seems like the genuine article. Besides. Nationwide, is on his side. Seriously though. I think he has a pretty healthy outlook on life. I like that about him.
But anyway…. here were are, in shorts, and swimsuits, and tank tops… watching the Super Bowl. Eating pizza, Garlic Knots, Focaccia Bread, and Doritos, and such. But we should be in sweaters, and long undies.
Yet…. flip-flops rule the day.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. In fact, I like it this way. But it seems like the Super Bowl is a bit of an afterthought in these conditions.
Those conditions…. would be paradise… or something close.
This morning I started the day with a long walk on the beach. And then another, and another. It felt really good to be on that sand, feeling the soft waves lap up and swirl around my ankles. The light breeze coming off the water. A gull circling above. I’ll tell you this much right now. The sense of connectedness was overwhelming.
It is easy to feel the beauty of life, when you are in such a place. It seems apparently clear that we are surrounded by goodness and abundance, when you are in privileged situation…. like this one.
The true transcendence, though, is in having this realization in all our minutes. To understand that we are in the very midst of the beauty and the goodness of creation…. in our every day lives. Some people are challenged by very disparate circumstances, and they still have this appreciation for the beauty of life. I don’t know how they do it.
I can only thank them for their wisdom. And learn from them. And try to be more like them.
To appreciate our every breath.
And on this good day…. the breaths while wearing shorts, flip flops, eating pizza, and watching the Broncos win the Super Bowl.
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
― Meister Eckhart
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh