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Small
Moments: A Thing of Beauty
By: Laurel Ross
The other night, I was driving to a meeting. Unexpectedly,
snow began falling. Huge, lacey, fluffy, white flakes.
Coming down fast and furious, illuminated by the headlights
of the cars, and set off against the deep blue of the
night. I was transfixed by the beauty. I found myself
transformed, as I examined the intricate lace work of
the unique patterns. The flakes came down, landing soundlessly
on my windshield. I watched as each beautiful flake
quickly melted into just another drop of water. The
traffic didn’t seem so painful when I could be
a witness to this miracle. When I finally arrived at
my destination, I was still caught up in the excitement
of having witnessed something so wonderful.
In my home and office, I have framed photographs from
many of my trips. While traveling, I take hundreds of
photos, friends that I travel with me mock my voracious
appetite for pictures. On each trip, only about a third
of the photos will ever get seen by someone other than
me. Of that group, less than 5 will ever make it into
the final cut, blown up, framed, hung somewhere or given
as a gift. Each day, when my eye catches on of the photos,
I get lost in the scene unfolding, far away from the
crisis of the moment. We all need a chance to escape,
and a moment to remember something that once made us
smile.
How often do we miss the moments of true beauty because
we are caught up in the bullshit of the everyday? The
small moments matter, and can transform not just the
moment, but the entire day. I’m learning to be
more conscious of these moments. They make me realize
that there is more peace and beauty out there then I
ever imagined. By the very act of noticing the moments,
I’m able to retain them, and can call them back
when needed. I have a small but cherished collection
of these memories – a day spent snorkeling and
sailing off the coast of Puerto Rico with friends; floating
in the unimaginably turquoise blue, warm, clear water
of Bora Bora; the look on my niece’s face as she
watched her first Broadway musical; a gathering of my
good friends, sitting around my fireplace, laughing.
These are the moments that get me through the rough
days.
We all need to remember the moments, and to find ways
to bring them back to the surface. As a kid, I expected
life to be made up of giant beautiful moments. And as
I get older, I’m learning to value the collection
of smaller moments that make time beautiful.
To My Readers: I apologize for my extended absence,
but needed a chance to catch my breath and look for
the beautiful moments. Am working on getting back to
more regular bi-weekly columns, but please have patience
with me. Thanks for making this such a positive experience.
Laurel Ross
Editors
Note: Laurel Ross welcomes your (gentle) comments. Her
email is LaurelRoss39@aol.com
jan
2004
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