To see the plenty first

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 to not 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 are very busy inhabiting my house, as they always do when we need rain. The sand in my car is 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.

*first published November 25th 2014. In 2021, I live in seeing and experiencing the plenty and the present. The habit of seeing and experiencing lack took a very long time to break. To quit comparing myself to others and what they have or do not. For anyone on this path I recommend endurance and persistence. Very worth it.

Photo taken January 23rd 2021