Appreciation

Appreciation by Steve Tallamy

Maybe it’s the spring air but just lately I have noticed that wonderful feeling of appreciation bursting within me; whether it is family, friends or total strangers, I have noticed that I appreciate them for simply being who they are and not for who I think they ought to be.  It’s as if a veil has been lifted and I am seeing with my heart as well as with my eyes.

I liken it to walking into a beautiful garden for the first time and sensing the smells, colours and beauty all around, seeing the light playing through the leaves and branches of the trees, seeing and feeling it as it simply is.  No thought goes into labeling things so there is no association with other worldly images or preconceptions about why it is as it is, just an acceptance that … it is!  Without these labels to confuse my mind I am able to concentrate my thoughts inwards and glimpse the true meaning of oneness with the world and everyone and everything in it.

I know that this may sound a bit flowery (sorry about the pun) but I find it hard to describe the feeling in any other way and to do so wouldn’t do it justice.  When we unburden ourselves of the layers of preconceived why’s and wherefore’s handed down to us throughout our lives we are left with what is the absolute truth about ourselves and others and it brings peace and harmony into our hearts and minds; allowing appreciation to flow through our veins.

Germinating the seeds of appreciation inside of yourself now will allow them to grow and bloom before eventually self-seeding amongst everyone around you.  There is no precise time of the year to sow these seeds and there are no special conditions required apart from allowing, accepting, and appreciating them into your life; but as its spring, why not start your own nurseries of appreciation now, while I take another stroll around that garden.