Life Is Beautiful

Driving north on Providence Road towards campus is a monotonous task that I complete several times a day; yet somehow, it seems as if this every-day task has stirred my senses to be attune to the beauty of not just the demographics around me, but of life itself. The trees, gorgeous shades of vibrant red, orange, and yellow, gracefully slope down the rock quarries and hills that lead into the heart of Columbia. Set against the rising of the morning sun, the bright blue sky, or the clouds of a rainy day, the set of which I speak deepens my appreciation for every single day. For a brief moment of my drive, its as if everything but the scenery vanishes; the road, cars, the Taco Bell, the Arena...all is quiet and all is beautiful.

In my eyes, I see a parallelism between the beauty of nature and the beauty of life. If stress and chaos are stripped away and one takes a moment to reflect upon what is left, what is really seen? I see, at least in my life, family who will bend over backwards for each other, the gift of health, fellowship of friends...I begin to realize that I am so grateful; so fortunate. As Thanksgiving nears and I take time to think, I am so humbled, so honored, and so very grateful of the people in my life, the opportunities that they helped to create, of the men and women who have served before me, and the things that I am blessed with.

I turn back to school, studying, and working to the best of my abilities, but it is not without a pause of reflection. The warm, comforting smell of coffee, thoughts of home, conversation with family, the autumn trees outside in the brisk, cool air...Look around you. Strip away the business. Close your eyes and see that Life is Beautiful.