I have a plum tree … and every year it blooms. … it has put out its slightly pinkish blossoms without hesitation or haste. It has made no demands on me to admire it, but it has also done nothing to avoid my attention.

Having Had a Spiritual Awakening, Al-Anon

There is much beauty around me. I will miss it if I get caught up in my cycle of worry, continuing to work over some small slight, some shame of past behavior, some old, well-worn resentment. The beauty of the world, like the flowers on the tree does not demand that I admire it, but it doesn't hide from me, either. My own mind, my own will is what obscures that beauty. When I can take a moment, to be in that moment, to let go of the cares and worries of my daily life, then and only then will I see what the universe has placed in front of my blinded eyes. Today, I will take a moment to witness the beauty.

A meditation for March 9, 2013.