This morning I received some Whatsapp photos from a friend, photos of the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. Blue sea, palm-fringed beach, then an infinity pool with a beautiful red sunset behind. Paradise!
I held my phone up to the window and sent him back a photo of a cold misty, Madrid morning and said ‘You win!’ Then I laughed to myself because I saw there was a single palm tree in my Madrid photo too! And the other leafless trees looked wonderful in the mist.
We both win I thought!
Look at these trees, below, from an evening walk in the park last night, so beautiful! Who needs more!
I love the Zen teaching that says simply, ‘This is it!’ … don’t look further than what’s in front of you in this moment for everything you need! This is it! Nothing to search for, nothing missing, no enlightenment necessary, you are already there!
The day before yesterday I was walking down a busy road in a different corner of the city. It was a grey, freezing day, and I thought to myself, ‘I wish I was at home!’… until I remembered, ‘there you go again, wishing you were somewhere else! Dissatisfaction again!’ And I smiled and thought, ‘This is it!’
And that cold, grey, busy road became a wonderful place to be! Outside, seeing the world, just as good as sitting at home by the fire!
Notes from Ben 
True, and so many places where beauty lurks. It is up to us to notice it.
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Thank you Anne for your comment.
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Ben,
If I had not come across this post, I would have carried on eating my breakfast and reading my email without taking the time to appreciate my surroundings and the now. I would have missed a beautiful sunrise.
Thank-You
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Thank you Susan, I’m very glad.
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