Everything is beautiful

I really realized the beauty of things today.

Right now, I'm sitting in a semi-dark basement, typing away on my computer as soft music plays in the background. I'm surrounded by dark, dead machines and I'm sitting on a soft, plush beanbag that I barely notice beneath me. Instead of immediately writing something completely different, I leaned back and looked out the windows of my basement, just watching with the music continuing to play quietly.
Suddenly, I realized something I haven't in a long time.
I realized just how much I take things for granted.

I go through my routines each day, ignoring the beauty and magic of everything around me.
Before now, I listened to conversation, thinking nothing of it. I would sit by myself in silence and feel absolutely, completely alone. When it rained, it rained and when the sun shone, it meant that it was going to be a nice, warm day. But things aren't that simple.

Let me start with conversation.
It's absolutely amazing that we can make a certain, specific series of sounds which means something - whether it's a greeting or an expression of our feelings or a plea for help. It's incredible that these sounds.. they are be taught and learned and understood by others. It's an absolute blessing and miracle that we can speak. That we can be understood. That we can express ourselves through words and know that we can and will be heard.

Silence.
I'll admit, because of how I've been raised, I'm a little afraid of silence. I've always been surrounded by noise - whether it's the voices of people around me or the hum of technology or even the sounds of nature. Being surrounded by quiet and sitting alone was always a bad thing - something foreign and something that terrified me. I've always had an overactive imagination and my most terrifying thoughts came when I was completely alone. But today, I leaned back and turned off my music and stared outside for a few minutes, letting my mind wander and swoop, avoiding the terrifying things and waking up to what was going on around me.
Silence is nothing to be terrified of and neither is being alone.
It's a gift to be able to isolate yourself and to leave everything behind. To escape into the natural world.
That's the only way we can truly know ourselves and if we're never alone.. if we never separate from everyone and everything and the endless distractions around us then we don't realize just how fortunate and lucky we are. We don't receive an appreciation of being surrounded by other people.

Weather's a topic that can be debated.. but it's absolutely amazing. It's easy to complain when we don't get the weather we want (for example, I don't enjoy snow and I always find myself groaning when I get caught in a blizzard) but we need to look at the big picture when we find ourselves getting negative about it. Without rain, we'd live in a world without life. Without the sunshine, we wouldn't know the warmth of our sun. Without the snow, we wouldn't know variety. Each type of weather brings its own gifts and positive aspects.. we just need to look at it with an open mind.

As I've been sitting in my basement, my sister joined us and so did the loud music and hum of the mechanical machines that surround me. All the lights have flickered on and people I know surround me once more. But there's a new kind of peace that's come over me. Realizing that although sound and technology and noise is amazing... there's a special kind of beauty and appreciation in being by yourself.

So look around you right now, wherever you are. Consider what I've said and really try to see the beauty in everything around you.
-Rylie