finding grace in uncommon places

“Life is an inexhaustible treasure, but only the heart of the poet can know it.”
— Osho

The world is filled with poetry, if only we have eyes to see it. As Marcus Aurelius wrote in a passage in Meditations, even simple sights like stalks of grain bending in the wind or the fierce gaze of a lion contain a certain “charm and allure.” These moments of natural beauty gave Aurelius, and give us, a powerful perspective - the ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

It takes a poetic sensibility to find grace and meaning in humble things, like the way bread cracks open as it bakes, beckoning us to savor it. The poet understands that these cracks were not the baker’s intent, yet still “catch our eye and serve to stir our appetite.” Isn’t that the work of metaphor, drawing connections between unlike things? Poetry lives in those associations.

To unleash the poetry within is to approach life with love, creativity, and sensitivity. It is to add verve and zest to each moment, refusing to let any become dull or stale. With poetry as our lens, life is endlessly surprising, revealing new mysteries every day.

There is joy in seeing what others overlook, in finding harmony amid the chaos. This poetic perspective is far nobler than viewing the world as dark or bleak. It takes courage to remain open-hearted, but that is how we stay tender, thoughtful, and connected to each other.

So let us seek out life’s poetry. Let us watch for grace in uncommon places and feel our hearts stirred by the small beauties all around us. That is how we turn the prosaic into the poetic and fill our days with metaphor, meaning, and delight.

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