Open the door to beauty...

Image from Hamed Masoumi via flickr

There is beauty to be found in nearly everything - people, homes, food, clothes, pets, books, etc. Seeking it out and then embracing that beauty only makes your life better. Happier. What on earth does a new coat of paint or buying a pretty scarf have to do with happiness? Plenty.

I'm not saying that choosing to embrace beauty in your little corner of the world is going to solve everything - in your life or anyone else's. But if you doubt that a lack of beauty makes a big difference in life, I encourage you to take a ride through a blighted neighborhood down on its luck - the hopelessness is palpable. Or watch one of the endless makeover TV shows for homes and people. It's not a coincidence that everyone feels a thousand times better after the makeover.

Quite honestly, in our current economy, we could all use more bright spots in our day - and that could start with something as simple as seeking out beauty. Need ideas? Try cooking a lovely dinner and then setting the table with the good dishes for no reason other than to enjoy using them and bask in their beauty. Spend $10 and bring home a lovely bunch of flowers from the grocery store - or better yet, cut flowers and greenery from your yard. Dress like you matter - wear that funky old jewelry or change your purse to go with your outfit. Dig around the house and see what you can do to change things around to be more pleasing to the eye - try furniture in different rooms, move some art, throw the pillow covers in the wash. If you're going shopping anyway, take a moment to check out how some of the things you buy look - if you find dishwashing soap in a cute container that you don't have to hide under the sink (I recommend Method), buy it instead. With time, all these little things build on each other until you are basically surrounded by beauty at every turn. Who wouldn't enjoy that?

So, your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to find one way to embrace a little more beauty in the next few days and report back. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.  :)