#71: There Is Beauty In The Ordinary

Ordinarily beautiful. Beautifully ordinary.

I went on a walk today and ran into a white swan. Two of them actually. Did you know that swans are bonded for life once they have found each other?

Since I didn’t carry my camera with me, you have to rely on your memory to imagine what a white swan looks like. I am sure you have all seen one. It is a majestic animal, looking proud and strong. Once you are in close proximity to a white swan, it leaves you with no doubt that it would be unwise to proceed any further.

I stood there for a while to admire those two animals for their beauty and companionship. A truly joyful moment!

How special is it to see a white swan, though? Nothing extraordinary you might say.

The sight of a black swan would be so different in comparison, wouldn’t it? Truly extraordinary! And yet, there is so much beauty in the ordinary.

We chase the extraordinary. We look for the next big idea. We aim for perfection.

There is beauty in the ordinary.

The Japanese have an expression for this. Wabi sabi.

«Wabi sabi is a beautiful way to describe what is natural and pure and to acknowledge the beauty of any substance or being in its most natural and raw form. It eliminates the rather Westernized concept of artificial beauty and idolizing a state of perfection that is seemingly unachievable and unnatural.»

The white swan might not be the best representation of wabi sabi. To me, it did represent the purest form of beauty in that moment. It was natural and raw.

Just ordinary in so many ways.

Beautifully ordinary.

Ordinarily beautiful.