“As we age, we become more aware of the rarity and exquisiteness of beauty, and come to admire the flowers blooming amongst rubble. With each advancing decade, nature’s beauty and the magnificence of life increasingly amazes me.” — Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

When we are young, beauty can seem abundant and effortless. We may look for it in the obvious places, in perfection, youth, grand landscapes, or extraordinary moments. But as we grow older and experience more of life, our understanding of beauty begins to change.

We learn that life is rarely perfect. There will always be uncertainty, loss, disappointment, and a certain amount of rubble. Yet somehow, flowers continue to bloom. People remain kind after experiencing hardship. New beginnings emerge from painful endings. Laughter returns after sorrow. Nature quietly renews herself again and again.

Perhaps this is why beauty becomes more meaningful with age. We understand more fully how fragile and fleeting it can be, and therefore how precious it is. We begin to notice the light falling through the trees, the changing colors of the sky, the kindness of a stranger, or the comfort of an ordinary day. Things we may once have overlooked become small miracles.

Growing older does not have to mean losing our sense of wonder. If anything, it can deepen it. Experience teaches us that beauty is not the absence of imperfection; sometimes, it is what rises from it. The flower blooming among the rubble is exquisite not only because it is beautiful, but because it continued to grow.

May we move through this week with eyes open to that kind of beauty, the resilient, unexpected, everyday beauty that is still growing all around us, and may we never become so distracted by the rubble that we forget to notice the flowers.

Happy Monday!