Beauty
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Beauty: “The quality of being pleasing, especially to look at, or someone or something that gives great pleasure, especially when you look at it.” - Cambridge Dictionary”
The photo shown might fit these definitions, to some viewers at least. What is pleasing for one might, of course, do nothing for the next person. What is pleasing to us is based on our view of the world, preferences, experiences, etc. That means, that there can never be a black and white (pun intended) definition of beauty. Ask ten people about the photo and while some of them might like it and consider it perhaps beautiful, their explanations will be unique.
That in itself highlights that Beauty is much more complex than our usage of the word usually implies. And often we might not even know why something or someone appears beautiful to us. Whatever triggers it, we know it when we see it or encounter it. And it might touch us deeper than the word ‘pleasing’ implies. It might strike a chord with us or touch our soul, unlocks our heart, brings tears to our eyes, makes us deeply grateful, lets us experience a moment of true happiness. Beauty has therefore an element of mystery about it, something we cannot grasp, it could even be called divine. It lets us recognise truth for however fleetingly a moment, truth about our lives and who we are. It implies goodness and light, there cannot be beauty where there is darkness.
But how often do we simply overlook what is beautiful in our daily lives? How often do we rush, let ourselves be driven by daily demands we know are often of lesser importance. How often do we overlook the beautiful flower in the midst of decay, the smile of someone we encounter, the clouds in the sky? The Camino allows us to take a step back and to let beauty back into our lives, to experience moments of mystery and goodness. In these moments we might come closer to an answer for the question what our life is truly about.
The Camino is beautiful despite rain, blisters, long days and, snoring. It gifts us these moments in abundance if we are open to receive them. We cannot hold on to each moment, but we learn that these moments are there every day and everywhere. The Camino reminds us and prompts us to appreciate this beauty in our lives.