Life Ain't Always Beautiful

I am in love with the opportunity of living. I adore the simplistic substancy (yes, I made this word up) of breathing. My breath catches at the realization that each morning, my eyes open and each evening they close. And my, all that is filled in between. Have you ever listened to the soundtrack of a day in the life? Quite simply, the beauty that blesses our ears with each passing moment. It never ceases to amaze me all that we take for granted. It humors me, our obsession with art, when our eyes serve as the most vibrant and flawless portrayal of beauty. We see the sun rising, setting, we survey the stars against the dark sheath of night, the trees and the animals, our fellow human beings. We are given this empty book, and it's our job to fill it...however we please. We control our every decision, each choice leading us where we want to go, each moment a step towards a new adventure. Every day is so filled with possibility, it's hard to believe we find time for boredom. There is not a thing I would do to trade in my life, my experiences, or my future. I can see what it's all worth, at face value, and the value is astronomical. And there are times in my life, as I imagine we all experience, in which I wonder just how much the people in my life value this beautiful gift. I wonder if they value their own lives and experiences as I do, and I wonder if they value my presence in their life quite as wholly as I value theirs. I've been where I've been, and I am where I am. I have developed the notions that I have as a result of my experiences. And I wouldn't change a thing. I may, at times, see things differently than my peers. I may value each simple event far more than some would take the time to think of it. But you see, this is who I am...and it's such a wonderful identity that I have for myself. I am so far from perfection, and sometimes the notions of others overtake my own. Ultimately, though, I believe in the beauty of my life, and of the lives of others. I believe that the moments no one seems to think about are, in a sense, the most important and most influential in our lifestyles. There are more moments that we let pass by than those we allow to affect us permanently...and these small, unimportant moments are the ones that prepare us for those big moments, the ones that test our character, our morals, ourselves as human beings. The world itself is a beautiful place, and it is filled with beautiful people. It is so easy to get down when you don't look for yourself, because all that is shared is the bad. We are in this world for ourselves, and ourselves alone. It is up to us to determine our own views, or if we so choose, to believe the views of others. Personally, I feel we are each blessed with this wonderful experience we know as life. There are times it isn't so wonderful, but I can't truly imagine myself without it. And I guess that's what I value most in this world, even when everything else seems to be falling apart...life is still there. The process of living, the day-to-day consistencies, that is something you can always count on. And by the time that you can't, it doesn't really matter anyway.