I was at a friends recently, relaxing on the shore of her lakefront property and I couldn’t help but admire the stunning views. The lake so peaceful, and the forest directly across lush, green, beautiful. I could almost feel my muscles relax and the sense of calm was overwhelming and I found myself wondering what it would be like to live in the midst of such beauty. They have a window to this lovely view every day…… do they still appreciate it? It would be so easy to take it for granted, like so many things in life, and that got me to thinking.

It’s easy to take too many things for granted, even our people. We live, work and play with the people we love, and they are in our lives because something about them impressed us as being ‘special’, but seeing them on a regular basis allows us to overlook the ‘specialness’ over time.  The daily routine we adopt means we are not always dazzled by the things we see every day,,,, they become mundane, old news,,,,,,until they are gone, and then we remember again how very special they are. (you really don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone)

We revel in the serenity and admire the beauty of the peaceful lake or the lush green forest for a time, then the novelty wears off and we stop paying homage to it, passing the window without even looking through it. A storm front moves in and suddenly the peaceful lake is angry and tumultuous, the sky grey and ominous. The trees in the forest bend in the wind threatening to snap and the scene now is not so pretty. Suddenly our lovely peaceful setting isn’t so lovely,,,but we stopped looking anyway.

And those we love, admire, and hold dear to our hearts, fade into the background of our routines, no longer special because they too, are in our daily lives and the novelty has worn off. We no longer thrill at the sight of them, and what once invoked feelings of excitement in their company is now just another comfortable encounter – they are simply with us and there is no reason to impress. The once beautiful scene outside our window and the people we deem to be ‘special’ in our lives are similar only until they no longer dazzle because how they recover, and if they recover, is very different.

We didn’t linger over the lovely scene often enough, or we failed to let our loved ones know how very ‘special’ they are to us. We’re too busy, we’re too bored, and we lost sight of the dazzle in our lives – the new and exciting is all we’re interested in. And when we crave that lovely view, or the company of the people we once adored, too late we realize both are now gone…..for…. how long? The storm will pass, the sun will rise, and that view will reignite our admiration yet again if we allow it.

The people in our lives however, may not recover as easily as a new sunrise. Neglect cuts deep. If we’re lucky, and didn’t take them for granted for too long, they might remember what it was that brought them together in the first place, and will find a renewed sense of joy in each others company, maybe. When it comes to human emotion nothing is guaranteed. Never stop looking for the beauty in another because it never leaves us, it just gets forgotten for a time.

The people in our lives, like the scenery, bring us joy and wisdom, heartache and sadness, all which is good, because one forces us to reflect on the other. (there would be no highs without the lows) Beauty is all around us. Take nothing and no one for granted, because that lovely and peaceful view outside the window, is guaranteed to return with the next sunrise. The people in our lives however could be lost to us forever.