We will always be lacking as a man as much as our souls are unaesthetic
What is it about beauty that we crave? All of its countless forms call to us, constantly reminding us of things that are beyond our control. None of us can say that we don't notice because, in beauty's very nature, it allures even the most focused and driven man. Not one of us is immune to that of beauty's force. Beauty is a reminder from God of what kind of world and life we were created for. As originally intended in the midst of the Garden of Eden to the spectacular grandeur we can find now amongst the mountain peaks and ocean waves, we crave beauty in all of its wondrous shapes and sizes because we were made for it. Whether we stop to truly drink the beauties of life in is a totally different story all together.
Beauty is everywhere. It is in so many things around us, never demanding we notice it and always offering much more than it ever gets in return. That is the wonder of aesthetics. That is the glory in which beautiful things live in, offering something heavenly and divine in the refreshment it gives our masculine souls.
Truly beautiful things don't demand attention for that would mean there is some need to be noticed. That of beauty doesn't need us anymore than the sunset needs our permission. It is simply water to quench our thirsty souls. Oddly enough, because it doesn't need us is perhaps a part of its allure.
We in fact need beauty . . . desperately I might add. So much so that we would spend our time and resources to search after it and find it.
Beauty calls to us.
Beauty reaches into places of our hearts that are like barren waste lands until setting our senses on such wondrous things to behold that it rejuvenates somehow a youthful like innocence that sparks wonder and passion.
It gives us an escape from the colder realities of life for richer and much warmer satisfying displays of the parts of life that usually make it worth living in the first place.
Amongst many other things, without beauty, there is no purpose.
We will always be lacking as a man as much as our souls are unaesthetic.
Sadly, our tendency is to live for efficiency rather than going out of our way to find what we deem unnecessary . . . in this case, often times beauty is allowed to take a back seat for more "important" things like what we would call being successful or accomplishing a goal.
Usually this leaves us empty after all the dust settles from our so called "accomplishments" and we begin to look to the outset for where we may have gone wrong. What a simple thing it is to just slow down to soak up a moment like a sponge as if it was an expensive bottle of aged whiskey spilling all around you.
What a waste when we don't.
What an expensive way to live and the cost will be carrying the weight of empty regret while the things you strove for left you with nothing in the end. Parts of our very being get neglected or overlooked and even shoved to the side because, let's face it, aesthetics aren't exactly an obvious necessity to life.
Beauty is found in more than just the tangible . . . for it dwells amongst us as our Creator dwells with us. It is found in a moment of laughter between dear friends or an embrace between two lovers who have been away from each other for longer than they would have ever liked. It is found inside of a story being told by a skillful story teller as they thematically portray details that allows the listener to paint an imagined picture in their head.
It really is all around us.
God has surely lavished beauty upon us as unopened gifts awaiting a careful unwrapping by our willingness to simply notice and admire it.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike"
- John Muir, The Yosemite (1912)
I was in Montana last week on a fly fishing trip with my dad where we adventured South of Bozeman all the way into Yellowstone. It was as gorgeous as Montana can be, yet there was a part of it that seemed to slip by me somehow. No matter how much beauty there was around me, I would find myself caught in the actual fishing aspect rather than where I was fishing at. I am not saying either is wrong but I became so caught up in wanting to catch trout I began to miss just enjoying being in such incredibly tangible beauty all around me.
So that's what I would do . . . I would literally take small breaks from fishing where I just stood there and allowed my soul a chance to drink in all the peace and wonder that danced around me amongst the pine tree tips with the mountains standing over them. I let the sounds of the river rushing passed my legs sooth my senses as I closed my eyes. I would take a deep breath full of the cleanest air I don't get here where I live. I allowed my mind to accept the parts of being there on the river that were truly magical, almost too-good-to-be-true. It was when I came to that posture of my heart and mind that I began to actually enjoy myself.
I did this after noticing I actually wasn't enjoying myself, crazy enough. I was frustrated at the fishing because this time of year should have been better than it was turning out for us. The waters were running warmer than usual because of how hot it had been so the fish weren't feeding the way they would typically.
Yet, I had to detach myself for a bit, intentionally needing to take in the beauty that I would surely miss if I didn't purposely take time to notice it.
In fact, one of the times I did take a break to admire where I was and let it soothe my soul, I was substantially rewarded.
I saw an object moving fairly quickly just over the tree line about 60 yards ahead up-river from where I was. As it came right over the river I saw it . . . an eagle . . . as it swooped down. It broke the water at ridiculous speed making a huge plunge-type splash as it pulled back out with a trout in its talons.
What a thing to witness.
I can't help but think I would have missed that if I hadn't taken the time to stop and just enjoy the beauty all around me. I know God timed it just right so I didn't miss it because that's the kind of Father He is, but I do believe we can miss these wonderful moments as they will never be again.
How often do we get so hung up and focused on what we are doing that we miss where we are now?
If we aren't careful, ambition takes over and we end up missing what's right around us.
I can't help but think how much we do that with God and all He has for us to enjoy about our lives now. Not tomorrow or next week when things may change or in our opinion, get better. No, right now He has beauty all around us. I am not talking about the kind of beauty we take for granted. I am talking about the kind, like the eagle swooping down for its next meal, it impresses an unforgettable reminder of all that is ours to enjoy.
Beauty will offer itself to whomever will drink it in, but it will not wait for us to acknowledge it on our time.
I would say some of the best memories we could make is enjoying each other. Our family, friends, and even the strangers you meet every day . . . life is loaded and full of small reminders that purpose is found in enjoying the beauty all around us.
So how do we not miss these moments?
We allow God to lead us into them. He does all the orchestrating. We get to be His children living amongst the life He has for us. We just have to look for it . . . and He will open our eyes to see it.
It blows my mind every time I catch a trout of just how completely beautiful they are. Bursting of almost every color of the spectrum, each one advocates the proof of our Creators brilliant artistry. Colored after the rocks from the river bed to find camouflage amongst them, trout are painted with hues of green and red and pink and yellow to name a few.
Just to think that God offers such a wondrous thing for us to be lavished upon in hopes that He will catch our attention. What a wonderful way He fathers our hearts. What a hopeful thing we ought to not take for granted.
(Photos: the rocks are from the Gallatin River at a secret fishing location in Bozeman, Montana. The landscape shot was taken from Yellowstone, Wyoming. The last were taken while fly fishing Slough Creek with my dad in Yellowstone.)