Leave a Note

On Sunday, I had responsibilities after church, so my husband took the kids to the mall to entertain them.  When he came out, there was a note on the windshield from my friend Sarah.  He saved it for me.  When I saw it, I grinned from ear to ear.  This little note on the back of an envelope is a happy and beautiful thing.

Sarah took a few moments out of her day to say hello, and that is all it took.  This simple act of acknowledgement and friendship done in passing warmed my spirit.  It is just a little note, the event is brief yet meaningful, and it is now over:  a pleasant memory.

I recently watched an interview with the amazing Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn in which he said, "To be loved means to be recognized as truly existing."  In my day-to-day life, the world and I seem to be on autopilot.  Sure, I know the folks around me exist, but how often do I take a moment to recognize and appreciate them?  Sarah could have noticed my car and carried on.  But instead, she took a brief moment to acknowledge me and leave an unexpected bit of beauty for me to find.

Finding a note always gives me pause to smile.  When my husband leaves me a note, or sends me a random text message that says "@~>~~" (a flower) or something equally as indicative,  it shakes me out of my rut.  I am trying to find and rest upon the beauty in my life that I can independently own, but a little bit of external reinforcement never hurts.

I treasure those little unexpected bits of acknowledgement.  A note scribbled on the back of an envelope can carry a great deal of beauty.  I am working on moderating my desire to hang onto notes and little gestures, because the physical pile can become clutter and lose its beauty.  This is an impermanent thing, but the beauty will live in my heart as a moment of warmth, love and friendship.

I deserve BEAUTY in my life!