the beauty way

It is late. I am standing in the city. Waiting for My Lovely One to pick me up.

It is cold and windy. The rain is pinching my bare, goose.bumped legs. The street is almost deserted. A dressed up, older couple hurry by, clutching each other, heads bowed to the weather.

I am not feeling my best. Under the awning of a shop boasting bright, leather handbags that laugh and shine, I am a dull, grey contrast.

And then, all by itself, my head turns to the beauty chant:

There is beauty before me, and there is beauty behind me.
There is beauty to my left, and there is beauty to my right.
There is beauty above me, and there is beauty below me.
There is beauty around me, and there is beauty within me.

Suddenly, effortlessly, I shift focus. I become more present and aware of what, brilliantly, is. The other stuff drops away.