"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." Henry Miller (1891 - 1980)
Have you ever seen the film American Beauty? I have, many times, for its sheer depth and skill in depicting characters. The main character says something like '...it's hard to be mad when there's so much beauty in the world' right at the end of the film.
I know, from experience, that it's very easy to be blind to what's good in life when you are in a low mood. I'm sure those suffering depression will know this all too well. Sometimes we turn inward when we are unhappy and get tied up in our own little world of gloom and everything seems so much worse. But then, have you noticed how much better the world seems when your mood is good? What's changed, the world or just the way you look at the world? Trust me - in most cases the world is exactly as it was yesterday and it's only the way you perceive the world that has changed and that's the reason you feel bad.
Sometimes we need to forget ourselves and look with a different eye at the world around us; a person, place, picture, book, a sunrise, a mountain, the sky. You get the picture! In recent days I've been walking a lot and visiting a special place I love, high up overlooking the sea. And each time I have stood and allowed the cold wind to bite my face and listened to the crashing of the surf against the rocks - a simple pleasure bringing big rewards.
