Why is it that beauty is so fleeting and ugly so durable? For example: yesterday, clouds built up in the west. Grey and menacing, they threatened and grew all through the hours of the afternoon and early evening heralding storms. Then, just at sunset for no more than ten minutes, the sky put on a show of colors that included a rainbow in addition to pinks and oranges and a tinge of red. Stunning, awesome. Another example: since we bought our house, I’ve been watching two poppy plants slowly stick their heads above the snow, then unfurl their fuzzy leaves. It’s taken a month for the plant’s buds to form and swell and finally open. But the flowers, gorgeous and happy, last no more than a day or two before the petals wither and fall off. Clearly, transitory beauty is part of nature.
I think I could be alright with how quickly beauty comes and goes if ugly acted the same way. Instead, ugly lingers. Ugly holds on, persists. Weeds and storm clouds enjoy longevity. Angry or mean words resonate in our memories much longer and louder than complements and kindnesses. Laughter fades but pain endures. Good choices we make are often overshadowed by the consequences of the bad. Being mired by ugly just doesn’t seem fair.
Okay – before this blog starts being too cliché and you start hearing Julie Andrews singing “My favorite Things” in the background, I’ll wrap it up. Here’s my final thought: Since it seems to be fact that beauty doesn’t last long, then wouldn’t it be grand if we all decided to make a concerted effort to create and share beautiful more often throughout our days? Then, even though each individual moment wouldn’t last long, there’d be more of them. Net gain!
