God's world is a beautiful place

By Ellen Shuck

"Mom, Dad, why don't you fly? It's so much quicker." This question and advice came from both our sons -- one in Florida and the other, Texas. We reside in Missouri. True, it's quite a jaunt to Florida from home.

We keep explaining to them we like to drive rather than fly. My husband likes manipulating the automobile through traffic and up and down hills. I enjoy riding along for miles and looking at the awesome sights -- such fantastic adventures. There's always something to see and enjoy. God created such a wonderful world. Every place has its own form of beauty.

I had begun to believe we were a weird couple, liking to drive everywhere rather than taking quick solutions. Just as I was feeling like a loner in my outlook on road trips versus quicker modes, a gentleman came to my rescue. As I sat conversing with him, he shared how he preferred driving to flying on vacations. He took the words right out of mouth. "Ellen," he said, "the world's a beautiful place. God created such beauty that we're supposed to enjoy. I marvel, looking out the window at the various landforms and trees and flowers." His eyes lit up, dancing as he talked. His voice sparked electric currents inside me, too. "I, too, do not like to fly because you see so little natural scenery."

Many people say, "What's there to see? It's the same old thing." My attitude is that you always see something new, unusual or inviting.

When you visit different countries, towns and other locations, you see unusual beauty in all of them. Each carries its own stamp of identification.

Also, each person carries a separate psychology of life within his mind. Everybody looks at things differently. Because of this, you will either perceive things as beautiful, ugly, boring, exciting, loving or angry. You will assign different feelings to them at different times. This depends not as much on your circumstances, but on your moods or feelings at the moment. Anais says in the book "You Can Be Happy No Matter What" by Richard Carlson, Ph.D., "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." The key to what we see as beautiful, or the opposite, is based on us. You can see beauty and blessings in life and be happy, or you can complain. You can put a label of ugliness and negativity on what happens, and you get what you look for. You're in a prison of your own making. Or you can live in a self-made paradise of noting the beauty that's all around.

When you're in a good mood, the world, scenery, people and circumstances appear in a more positive light than when you're having a bad day. Concerning the effect moods have on life, Thomas Mann is quoted in Carlson's book, saying, "Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered in the course of hours." When life seems impossible and depressing, your mood can change and situations, once again, look fortunate and bright again. When life seems cheery and you don't ever see a bleak moment, your mood can plunge and you're once again down in the doldrums. Slow down and life will get better.

A bunny rabbit ran across my yard recently. It ran quickly but oh, so gracefully. It leapt into the air -- so deliberate and mystifying, like a picture from a story book.

A friend feeds the ducks in local ponds. She never tires of the pastime. Elsie feeds squirrels, too. When winter arrives, she's among the first to build a snowman. Elsie brings much joy to everyone she's around because she sees the loveliness and awe in all God's creations. She has improved my appreciation of what's free to behold and has taught me I truly live in a paradise.