Why is it that we take the beauty around us so much for granted? Only as we get older do we seem to appreciate the priceless gifts  with which we are blessed. When we are young we are so busy that we often take for granted those things which could, and would, provide so much pleasure. Often, when we could really use a few moments of such comfort, we simply don't take the time. What a shame! I find now that even on really bad days nothing is quite so horrific if I take a few moments  to just appreciate the beauty there is around me waiting to ease whatever stress I might be facing at the time. When I do take those few moments to allow myself to absorb the  peace which such beauty provides it is amazing how much easier it is to  cope with whatever I am facing once I return to  the reality of day to day life. I highly recommend it.  It  sure beats the heck out of  the remedies offered by  the local pharmacy !

Life can be so difficult  for all of us from time to time. None of us is ever given a pass from problems. We all get our share. Sometimes, I know,  it seems we also get several others' share. But in truth  everyone is dealt the same mix of good and not so good cards  as we make this journey through life. We may not be aware of what others are dealing with, but they too face adversity just as we do. The problems may differ but   the problems are there. Sometimes we may think we are getting more than our share of hard times but we really are never given a burden to carry with which we are not able to cope. The secret is learning how to accomplish the feat of coping. And knowing that nothing lasts forever. Not happiness, and not pain or worry.

It's easy to enjoy, and to take for granted, the beauty when things are going well but learning to really appreciate that beauty even when it appears as if absolutely nothing will ever be right again is a lesson which will serve you well every day of your life. Trust me, I know. One more thing for which I owe my Grandfather a huge debt of thanks. That lesson has  proven to be one of the most valuable gifts received from that wise loving man  so many years ago. 

I admit, at times during my youth I may not have made use of the knowledge so lovingly  shared but when most needed it was always there to sustain me. Sometimes it just took a bit longer to remember it when the impatience of youth wanted everything to be perfect NOW. As I have become older that impatience has been tempered  by common sense and perhaps,  she said with all due modesty, even a touch of wisdom  as the years have passed and I have learned to count the small blessings and gain perspective.

Don't miss the blessings because they come packaged differently than you might expect. It's easy to  discount their significance when we don't take the time to really observe  the seemingly little things we all take so much for granted. The beauty of a flower. The daintiness of a butterfly. The wonder in a tiny child's eyes at a new discovery.  The soft rain which has given a fresh new appearance to a garden on a warm spring day.   Even the sound of  bird song in the air in the early morning as they celebrate the pure joy of being alive. Taking the time to really see, and to really listen, will fill your being with a warmth beyond expectation I promise you.

The problems may still be there to deal with but  they will  be less onerous for having taken the time to refresh yourself and in a way insulate yourself from giving up and succumbing to the negativity which is a by product of the bad times we all face. 

About now I know some will be thinking "what does she know, it's easy for her to say things can be made easier" but I assure you I am no different than any one of you. I have faced, and will face in my  time on this earth  as many problems and heart aches as any one of you. There are days when I fail to heed my own advice and days when I would simply like to stop trying to deal with the hand I am dealt but then I remember that there are others facing as much and more than I may be facing at those times and I  recognize it is time to regroup and get that perspective back which I have let slip away. And I  allow the wonder  and beauty around me to comfort  me once more.

Please do yourself a favour and  look, really look around you. Take the time to be kind to yourself.  And always remember ... the greenest grass and the loveliest flowers are always found wherever the most rain falls.