A Year of Gratitude – March 20, 2024
Gratitude can be found anywhere. I also believe that we can call upon gratitude from past experiences when we need to. In fact, I think that we should. If we carry a memory with us that filled us with gratitude, I can’t think of a reason not to call it up on a day when we need it.
Yesterday I shared with you that I took an unexpected last minute trip several weeks ago. I am not a frequent traveler. I love a good day trip, but I rarely travel away from our local area. I’m an unapologetic homebody.
While I was in South Carolina, I was treated to a lovely day at Brookgreen Gardens. It’s a gorgeous place full of natural beauty and manmade artistic sculptures. I’ll be sharing more photos from my visit to their gardens, but this photo caught my attention today when I was looking back over the photos from my trip.
This spot is in their children’s garden. It’s a whimsical spot filled with the sort of plants, colors, and images that would be sure to capture a child’s attention. I couldn’t help but smile as I stood there. I thought about how much my children would have enjoyed visiting this sort of place when they were small. I’m so glad that children will be able to enjoy this peaceful, beautiful space.
There was a breeze blowing softly the day we visited Brookgreen. When it did, these brightly colored paper lanterns swayed gently in the trees. The long tendrils of moss and colorful orbs seemed to be dancing overhead. It’s been many decades since I was a child, but I was filled with the sort of childlike appreciation for something purely beautiful to look at.
Do you remember that feeling? I remember looking upon things with an open mind and heart, being able to appreciate them with a sense of wonder. It’s something that I loved watching my children experience.
It’s a feeling, a state of mind that I haven’t connected to in so long. Yet I can choose to. I will commit to trying to see the beauty and wonder that is in my daily life. It’s there, but I have to choose to see it, give myself permission to stop where I am long enough to really take it in.
Not very long ago, someone shared with me the idea of choosing to be present where your feet are. I’ve thought about that a lot lately. What if we chose to find goodness where we are, opened our hearts and minds, and looked upon the beauty that surrounds us?
I looked up and saw this whimsical sight. I’m so glad that I did. I’m so grateful that I didn’t just pass through this place without really seeing it. I would have missed something spectacular.
This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.