If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. -Siddhartha Gautama

Imagine for a moment stepping outside your door and the walkway is lined with hundreds, even thousands of the most beautiful gifts you have ever seen- gifts which open the door to a profound peace, harmony, and gratitude, and they change your life forever.

Imagine no more.  They are out there.  Right now. You simply have to be still, and open yourself up enough to see- really see- and experience them.

I spent most of my life living in a tunnel.  The light at the back was my past, the light at the end was my destination, and I was running as fast as I could to get there.  It didn’t matter that I didn’t even know where “there” was- I just knew I had to get there. I rarely looked around me- and when I did, it was usually only briefly, projecting my judgments and fears on the world around me.

Then one day, the tunnel disappeared.  My blinders were removed in what can only be called an act of pure grace.  Instead of judging I simply looked with the eyes of a newborn-  and as I looked around me, I was overwhelmed by the beauty which surrounded me.  The vibrancy of the colors, the sounds, the sensations- were so… so…. well, just simply so full of love.

The flower and the perfection in its petals.  The wind blowing through the leaves.  The smile of the child and the beauty in each wrinkle of her grandfather’s weather worn face.  The vibrancy of the setting sun, and the promise of the sunrise.  The coolness of each raindrop.

The music of life sings to us in so many ways every day, and all we need to do is listen.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our “doing” that we loose sight of the simple gifts which lie before us.  The most amazing gifts are being offered to us- again and again, day in and day out- and we don’t even notice.

And then suddenly, in an instant our life can be transformed in the simple, yet profound realization and appreciation for the beauty and miracles that surround us.

Try, for a moment, to go outside somewhere, perhaps in nature, and stop thinking.  Stop worrying about the future, or thinking about the past.  Stop labeling and judging everyone and everything around you- including yourself.  Just be.  Become very, very present.  And simply look around you and take it all in- absorb what it is you see, feel, hear and experience.

And in that moment open your heart to the profound miracle of existence- of life- and of the beauty and depth which can exist in that single moment.  There is an underlying aliveness.  A hum.  A resonance which captures our heart and commandeers our soul to sing in harmony with all that is in that moment.

Today, see the gifts.  They are lined up in front of you, around you- just for you.  They are yours.  Accept the gifts.  Experience the gifts.  And open yourself to the rapture, and love, of life.