Seeing plenty first, in all things

November 25th

Dawn comes early at this time of year in the Southern Hemisphere. The birds start their song just around 4 am. From my bathroom window, I could see the changing of the sky and knew that I did actually miss the best part of this dawn, well before the sun breached the horizon.

I wondered how many beautiful dawns I had missed in my lifetime. And then thought immediately that the point was not to notice what was missed, but to really see what was there.

This is our way in modern culture. To focus on what we have missed, or lost, or do not have. And in the process, miss what is there. The beauty. The plenty. The small things that nourish.

The ants who are very busy inhabiting my house as they always do when we need rain. The sand in my car, a sure sign of runs on the beach with my dog Milly. The bowl of cherries waiting to be relished. The long, hot, sunny days. The cool breeze. The feel of my bare feet on the ground as I walk from the beach to the coffee shop.

For too long, I have seen the lack. Felt the lack. Compared myself to others as lacking.

Yet all around me is so much beauty and plenty.

And here in Australia we are never short on light. The wonderful light of this great Southern Land.

So much to be grateful for.

Determined I am to see the plenty first, in all things.