i want to start a conversation about beauty

i have wanted to talk about beauty for a very long time.

i haven't, because i don't know where to start. how do i talk about the thing i care about so intensely - the thing that is the touchstone for my life - that words seem inadequate and insufficient?

that, right there, is the first reason i haven't started the conversation until now.

the second reason i haven't started the conversation is that beauty is a loaded word and our relationship with beauty can be fraught with pain.

there are entire industries that exist to convince us that beauty is a product and we can possess it - if and only if we buy their product. there are societal and cultural mores that portray beauty as useless and frivolous. it is put into boxes - this is beautiful and that is beautiful and unless something is like this or like that, it is not beautiful.

but none of that is what i mean at all.

when i think about beauty, i am thinking about compassion. congruence. harmony. symmetry. joy. delight. simplicity. kindness. trust. surrender. authenticity. vulnerability. radiance. love. passion. pleasure. possibility. play. appreciation. acceptance. courage. belonging. presence. permission. desire. creativity. celebration. curiosity. discovery. insight. sanctuary. homecoming. empathy. devotion. integrity. inspiration. communion. truth. generosity. peace.

and so much more.

when i think about beauty, i am thinking about the richness of a deep, true friendship. the sparkle of sunlight on wet asphalt. deep belly laughter. the smell of lilacs. cooking a meal and setting the table and lighting a candle, even when you are eating alone. a painting that stops you in your tracks. the sight of orion and his bow and arrow in the winter sky above you. a hug hello. the light and warmth of a campfire. the hush in the air after the first snowfall. bright green moss. a photo that moves you and so you order it and wait excitedly for it to arrive and when it does, you frame it and hang it in the perfect place and then you stop and enjoy it every time you see it on your wall. placing the pillows on the couch just so. helping someone in need. picking up a piece of garbage in the park and placing it in the trash can. belting out your favorite song while driving. a line in a book or a poem. the sound of waves crashing on the sand. really truly seeing someone. ruby red pomegranate seeds. a dog on point. a field of prairie grasses blowing in the wind. the crunch of a crisp dill pickle. the moment when you realize, "oh! this is why i do this! and i can change!" a shadow on the wall. a single tear. blue sky after days of grey. sharing something that you are deeply ashamed of and being met with love, compassion, and acceptance. moonlight on the water. the hoot of an owl. the sight of someone you love coming toward you. two raccoon faces peering out from the branches of a tree on an evening walk. the thrill of the northern lights. your breath in the frosty air. celebrating someone's success. the first sip of hot chocolate. blackberry gelato melting on your tongue. your favorite scarf.

and so much more.

there are two things i believe to be true about beauty. the first is that beauty is a need. the second is that beauty is a quality of the soul.

beauty might indeed be the thing i never talk about, but it is also the only thing i ever talk about at all.

Comments

[Jerry Critter]

You talk beauty continuously through your photos and your love of Atlas.

[Claire P]

Hhhmmmmmmmmmhhmmmmmmm....

Yes. Alain de Botton (The Architecture of Happiness) and John Armstrong (The Secret Power of Beauty) both convinced me early that surrounding ourselves with beauty, with beautiful things AND with consciously SEEING all the small, everyday beauty around us, is not only good for our happiness but makes it easier to embody that which is beautiful, even divine, within us.

And your words, as imperfect as they may be, are profoundly beautiful and moving. Thank you!

[tammy]

it's the beauty in the everydayness of our lives that is the most moving... and in your words... and always your pictures, you've captured it perfectly.
i will re read this often!
love,
tammy j

[julie m.]

Love! Beauty is everywhere- a richness, a feeling, an awareness, a connection to our world. My grandma's worn, wrinkled, soft hands for instance. Or the fact that every time I see Orion's Belt, I'm reminded of the childlike enthusiasm on my husband's face when he first pointed it out to me. You have an extraordinary way of capturing beauty, Libby. Perhaps because you have a gift of moving past the literal and concrete and capturing something much deeper. Soulful. And that, my dear, is beautiful.

[Tracy]

Just loved your last line summing it up, Elizabeth, "beauty might indeed be the thing i never talk about, but it is also the only thing i ever talk about at all." The write/philosopher Elbert Hubbard said/wrote, "Art is not a thing, it is a way." I wonder the the same could be said for beauty. That's more than just a thing/things, it is a way... A way of living, of being, of seeing... As Claire at the top said, I do believe beauty connects us with the Divine. Through beauty we have opportunities so see the beauty of others, and even more so, find the inherent beauty within ourselves. BIG topic... love this! :o) Happy Weekend, my friend ((HUGS))

[Nora O]

what is interesting about beauty is that it is not constant, in that what is beautiful one moment might not be in another. There is always beauty to be seen/had, but it shifts with mood and location and need. Being happy usually is just seeing the beauty in something in your life at any one moment, isn't it? It is more like a sensory response than anything. Well, I don't know the words right now to explain that. But you have me thinking...

[Patty]

Amazing - I was just thinking about this very topic yesterday! When I started my blog, I said I wanted it to explore truth, wisdom and beauty. Well, I ran across an old journal entry yesterday in which I was trying to define each of these. I had fairly concise definitions for both truth and wisdom, but when it came to beauty, the rest of the page was blank! I could not put my finger on it.... or maybe I thought I could not fit it on the page. Anyway, you have gone further than me with your eloquent description above and hopefully, it will move me in that direction too!! It is a great conversation to start...... thank you!!

XOX

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@jerry: that is true! i have just been wanting to talk about it more explicitly.

@claire: ooooh! book recco's! i am writing them both in my little book. thank you!

@tammy: i am touched. thank you.

@julie: mmmmmm. sighing deeply at your experiences of beauty. they feel so rich. (i can just imagine him pointing orion out!) xo

@tracy: i am appreciating that quote. it does feel true for beauty - that it is a way of being in the world. that's sort of why i think it's a quality of the soul. when we fill up on beauty, it makes our lives so much richer, in our own unique way.

@nora: oh! now you've got me thinking too. because it does feel like an experience, and our experience does change depending on so many things. i want to ponder this.

@patty: what serendipity! yay! i will look forward to your musings on it!

[erin]

I'm constantly thinking about beauty too. It is expansive and filled with possibilities. Thank you.

[Gayle]

I am very behind on blog reading and I'm just catching up now. I am so glad I didn't miss this post of yours. I love your thoughts and I am so glad you share them with us! I read your last line over and over. It is beautiful! (As are all of your posts and images!)