These days, I walk under a canopy of cherry trees on my way to the office and, each morning, the sight of the cherry blossoms takes my breath away.  I notice that people I pass on the small path that wends its way under the trees smile in a way they may not in more ordinary times, when the cherry trees join all the others with their green leaves and no flowers.  I notice that most of us stop, at some point along the way to look more closely at the blossoms that hang down right in front of us.  It’s a gift each year that surprises and delights, even as we know that the cherry blossoms will reappear next year.

One morning, I was particularly taken with the view of the canopy spreading out overhead – pink and lush, with puffy flowers everywhere.  The sight got me to thinking, once again, of the power of paying attention to the gifts that are all around – in nature, with people, animals and birds.  The cardinals are again singing in the park, and whenever I hear their familiar call, I can imagine a beautiful red bird marking its territory, or calling to other birds.  It’s a sound that always moves me – another source of touching into the beauty that is everywhere around, when we pay attention to it.

And so, this week’s experiment invites you to take some time to notice whatever touches you as beautiful in the coming week, and then to notice how that beauty affects your mood, the quality of your thoughts, and your physical being.  Remember to pay attention to the small things you might ordinarily take for granted, as beauty can be found in the strangest places, at the most unexpected times.  It can also be found in the hum-drum things of everyday living, as the moment when birdsong cuts through the noise of traffic, or a flower petal drifts by, bringing you out of your thoughts for a minute and into the awareness of some unexpected color coming your way.  Beauty may be all around you, in the familiar things in your home.  Take a look this week with new eyes and allow yourself to notice the things of beauty you have given yourself that you may have come to take for granted, such as a particular painting, statue, piece of music, houseplant, or anything else that represents beauty to you.

The important part of this week’s experiment is to notice the effect beauty has on you, to discover how finding beauty each day is its own kind of nourishment, and that the body and soul thrive when we bother to pay attention to the beautiful things in our world.  And, if you have difficulty finding beauty in the physical world, allow yourself to take a moment or two to remember something beautiful from the past, or to listen to music in your mind, or to read an inspiring poem you know that always brings a sense of beauty to you.  Play with the experiment so that you can discover how beauty nourishes you.