Saturday, May 19, 2018 – The Better Thing

The strongest principle of growth lies in the human choice.

George Eliot

It’s just after 5:00 a.m. and the sky is breathtaking.

The sun, not yet risen, casts a red glow on the tips of whisps of clouds that swirl like horse tails. I think I might jump out of bed and grab my phone to capture an image of the wonder.

I change my mind. Instead I sit in silent awe and watch as the brilliance changes and gradually fades. The clouds become less defined; the glow, more subtle.

I would have missed the fleeting moment of wonder had I tried to hold on it with my camera. In the time I might have rushed to the bathroom to grab my phone—or worse, downstairs for my big girl camera— the height of the grandeur would have passed.

How often have I missed sitting in awe; swapping it, instead, for busy?

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In the garden, the spinach is already starting to bolt—a consequence of the heat we’ve been enjoying. There is a delicate balance in nature: one thing changes as a result of another. It is that way in everything.

You see, we cannot draw lines and compartments and refuse to budge beyond them. Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair.’ He paused, considering what he had just said. ‘Yes’, he repeated. ‘In the end, it’s all a question of balance.”

Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance