Why Bother Noticing The Best Things?

Are the best things in life really free? If we pay attention, there is a lot of goodness that can be gleaned from our world that is priceless. What puts a lasting smile on our faces cannot always be ordered online and delivered to our front porch in a box. What warms the cockles of our hearts is not necessarily something manufactured in a factory and imported from across the ocean. Felt happiness, I think, comes without a price tag, cannot be measured by an economic formula and is exempt from taxes. The best of life, I believe, comes when we notice what naturally surrounds our everyday lives. 

     The Good, The Beautiful, The Priceless

Though I took an astronomy class in college, I still cannot name or identify more than two constellations, the Big and Little Dipper. To view these two marvelous configurations,   all I have to do is look up into the dark sky. The season does not matter; winter, spring, summer or fall, these stars that form the shapes of dippers are always there for us to see. Staring up at them reminds me that although the world I live in is unreliable and constantly changing, the One who created the universe is not. 

Living in an environment surrounded by forests, lakes and mountains offers beauty to behold every day. It costs nothing for me to sit on a bench and stare at the view of the vast lake I live near. A hike up a mountain with a sack lunch more than satisfies my appetite for peace and quiet. Natural hot springs abound along the shores of certain rivers. Sitting in a pool of natural hot water not only softens my skin, but relaxes my whole being. Anyone can afford a free spa with a majestic view.

Even without a hike to the hills or a warm soak in a hot natural pool, my backyard offers priceless wonders. The sight and sound of a hummingbird, the screech of an osprey or the sight of an eagle. Though our bird feeder is filled with food for the chickadees, I often witness the deer feeding from there too. 

If you happen by our house on a summer evening, you would find my husband and I on the back deck engrossed in a round of Rummy or our faces in a good book from the library. For the most part, our entertainment does not involve the use of a credit card.

So why bother noticing the best things in life? It is worth noticing what is priceless because what is priceless is most likely more lasting.