Finding Beauty in the Ordinary
Today, I was pouring myself a cup of tea, and all of a sudden I was struck by the beauty of the moment.
So calm, so still, so graceful.
I often see articles that complain about the inauthenticity of Instagram.
But I don’t think that’s always true… that Instagram celebrates the inauthentic.
No.
I believe that it can be a celebration of life.
It draws us because it shows us the beauty of the ordinary.
The beauty of a well laid brunch. The peacefulness of a cup of coffee. The innocence of a slumbering baby.
Yes, even the humanity of a well placed selfie.
These things are so incredibly ordinary.
And yet… they are beautiful.
We all want our lives to mean something. So much so that we often think that we must pursue the grandiose.
as Ralph Waldo Emerson so beautifully put it:
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
What is more meaningful than a life built of small, simple, but oh so beautiful moments?
My biggest wish is that I don’t forget to notice those simple moments.
It’s so easy for me to get so wrapped up in where I’m going that I forget to see where I am.
But life is beautiful yes?
I pray that I remember that. That I remember to close my eyes and breathe. That I remember to open them again and see.
Until next time,
Photos taken by Christina Rambo
I love these beautiful photos of your family. And I totally agree with you about Instagram showing us the true beauty of moments in life. We just have to learn how to weed out the unauthentic representations as well as remind ourselves that it’s okay if our life isn’t always beautiful/Instagram-worthy.
Thank you Lauren! And yes! Definitely weeding out unauthentic representations is important. I also think that while we shouldn’t overshare our pain and struggles on social media (to protect our hearts), it can also be so beautiful to see vulnerability. @jennaskitchen is the perfect example of that. Her posts are so beautiful, but yet they are so real!
Something I needed to hear. I often get so caught up in my to-do list that I forget to stop and take in the beauty of the moments that make up a lifetime…
Lovely photos of your family. Your smiles are contagious…
I think we all can relate to that Casey! Life can be so busy sometimes. And thank you!
I love, love, love this post and these pictures. You have a beautiful family. My favorites are with your daughter on your lap smiling, and Dad hanging her upside down.
Thanks Shann! You have a beautiful family as well. 🙂 My hubby hanging her upside down is my favorite too. 🙂
such true and needed reminders. i happen to love Instagram and just don’t get the hate. I’m glad you are a fan too. Thanks for sharing these pics of your gorgeous family.
Thank you Elle! I have always loved it as artistic expression and I kind of wanted to stand up for it a little bit. 🙂
Mmm I love this. I love your refreshing perspective on social media instead of the usual negativity a lot of people put on it. And I love that reminder too. Sometimes life is so stressful and difficult and painful. But I never want to forget to take the time to stop, take a deep breath, and see the beauty in the small moments.
Thank you Bonnie! I think social media is the same as anything in life. We project our feelings onto it. If we feel resentful or guilty about it then we try to make everyone else feel the same way. 🙂 And I totally agree. Life can be so hard that we HAVE to remember to stop and breathe.
what a beautiful post. Love all the amazing smiles
Thank you Angie!
Beautiful post! It is so important to soak up the everyday moments. Often we’re so caught up in the busy-ness of our lives that we miss the simple, priceless moments. Thanks for sharing. Oh, and your little girl is absolutely precious!
Hi Allie! Thank you! I completely agree with you because that is one of my biggest struggles.
SO precious – enjoy every moment you have with that precious baby! 🙂
Thank you Andi! I try to!
I completely agree with this. Yes, there are many staged photos on Instagram, but the ones that capture raw beauty discredit the fake ones. I like Instagram because it helps me appreciate the creativity and expression of others. Beauty is all around if we’ll just stop to notice it.
Definitely Rhiannon! And I think we can even appreciate the staged photos as artistic expression… kind of like still art right?
I LOVE this post… I have been thinking the same type of thing lately but never quite wrapped my brain around the full thought. Thank you for finding a way to say this so gracefully.
Wow. I love those photo of you and your family it really looks that you are happy 🙂 You had a very beautiful family. Enjoy every moment with them 🙂
I so, so agree! I’ve always felt resistant to the anti-Instagram movement, but couldn’t really articulate why. I think you explain it so well – that it’s all about beautiful moments. I held a mommy Instagram challenge a few months ago, and a lot of the moms commented on how great it was to find those little prompted moments and appreciate how special they are, and I had to agree. And on the flip side, even if I’m purposeful in my Instagram shots, I appreciate it because it makes me stop and take the time to make something beautiful! To take simple ordinary things, and enjoy their beauty – I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. The trouble for me is basing the value of my pictures on how many “likes” they get. That’s when I realize I’m not really doing it for the beauty anymore. Thanks for sharing all these adorable pictures too! So sweet!
Oh I love this so much! I completely agree that instagram can be used to celebrate the simple things in life.
Thank you Alyssa! I have always felt that way so I wanted to rebut all the negativity surrounding it these days!