Beauty Can't Be Owned

It lay shining in the sun, lightly tossed by an occasional wave....royal blue in hue. Until recently, I was in the habit of collecting beautiful stones and shells. Whenever I went to river banks or the sea shore, any such natural object which had a rare color, extraordinary shine, or a natural delicately polished texture would immediately find its way into my bag to be saved as a garniture. I used to think that such a beautiful thing needs to be owned... it should not lie around in this sandy slovenly surrounding, it would seem so much more valuable when positioned on the center piece of the living room; it would be the cynosure of all eyes.

But lately I realized that it was not a good idea to take away something so beautiful from where it was found one with nature. The same stone or shell would never seem so shiny in indoor lighting, nor would its color stand out like it did amidst the very slovenly sand that I thought was not a good backdrop for such a beauty. Just teaches me an important lesson..things are really beautiful when they are in their own natural self and surrounding. Take them way and they lose their charm.

The same goes for people. If you like them as they are, they are at their best. If you think that you should forge a bond with them and try to change them in a certain way that you think is better, maybe you are trying to take the shell away from the sand and put it on the center piece. Beware, it will lose all its beauty. Savor its beauty where it lies free and undisturbed in the sand, as it is.

So I did exactly that... captured its' beauty in my camera to bring home and look at, but walked away leaving it undisturbed. And because I see it in the picture lying on the sand under the tropical sun, it looks just as beautiful every time. If it were here, ornate on a red velvet cloth, dimly lit by indoor "classy" sconces, it would eventually lose all its hue and shine.

"If you are happy, let it be. Don't expect things to become ideal. Don't over-analyze your relationships. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness, not possessiveness."~Leo F.Buscaglia