Why?

Why what? Why should you look closer? The answer is both simple and complex. I know that has the makings for a zen lecture, but I just want to prove a point. The simple reason for looking closer is too see the things we might miss. The drop of water on the petal of the flower. The light in your friends eye when you bring them a gift.

One day I was walking out of my house in Naples, I passed a tree and noticed in had thorns all over it. I made it all the way into the house before I realized that type of tree had no thorns. That is when I looked closer and saw it covered with insects. That is where this photo comes from. If I hadn't taken the time to look a little closer, I would have never seen all these cool little bugs. These things happen everyday if we look hard enough.

The complex reason isn't even really that complex. If we take the time to look closer at our physical world it will carry over into everything we do. Noticing the way the dew glistens on the grass riding to school will help us appreciate the world around us. There are so many "little" things that make life great. We would never notice these little things normally.

Take for instance the photo of the Iris down below. All of that color and texture exists inside the flowerin a space no larger than a half dollar. Even regular photographers may snap a photo of the flower itself never looking closely into the interior. Looking closely helps us to appreciate the bees who fly in and pollinate, as well as the plant for putting up such a beautiful flower.

This is a great time to begin appreciating the gifts of being alive. Even in times of grief and mourning there are many things to be thankful for, we cannot forget that.

Each day is a gift, that is why we call it the present. Look closely and see all the wonderful things in life.