It’s a Beautiful Life

The definition of beauty according to Merriam Webster dictionary is “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” Finding the beauty in life has always been a struggle for me. I used to constantly look for perfection as my standard of beauty. Perfection, my friends, is not always beautiful and can cause you immense anxiety. It also isn’t realistic to expect perfection in most aspects of one’s life and seeking it can make you miss the beauty in the messy, imperfect parts of life.

Beauty is a feeling. A beautiful life will be full of feelings. Sadness of losing a person close to you can be beautiful–it makes you stop and remember all of the wonderful things about that person and your relationship with them. Joy of reaching a goal you set forth for yourself is beautiful–learning that you are capable of accomplishing your goal and having new experiences definitely exalts the mind and spirit. Peace in those quiet moments where you are just with yourself are beautiful–you can really give thanks for what you have, who you are, and the moments that greeted you along the path. A beautiful life is one filled to the brim with feelings. Those feelings are how you know you are living.

I have made efforts to allow myself to live in the moment and experience the full range of feelings. They may be messy, but they are most definitely beautiful. What makes you feel most alive? That is what makes life beautiful.