God puts in our hearts a natural longing for beauty. Sometimes I saw a screensaver and thought to myself, I'd like to go there someday. Well, this month, I took action and bought the monthly transportation pass that included two of our neighboring cities. So I can have unlimited train/bus rides (with some restrictions) within not only Kaohsiung, but Pingtung and Tainan. I could always do that but I didn't have much motivation to explore since I'm quite busy these days and there are always excuses. So I found a way to motivate myself and decided that within these 30 days, I'd explore as much as possible all the sights I wanted to see, and then I can go back to life as normal.
At first, I chose random places that looks like fun on the map, and when I have a free day or half a day, then I would go there and just spend some time enjoying the sights. I normally don't stay a long time because it's either too hot or it's raining. Sometimes my feet hurt. But nevertheless, I didn't let that stop me, and went places I've never been before in the past three weeks. It was fun, though I went by myself, and most of the time it may seemed boring. Sometimes I got lost. But it was still exciting and I felt God's presence with me in strange places. It's a good thing God is very portable.
So far I went to an island in Tainan, a flat forest area in Choujo, A museum called Chimei that looks like the White House, and many trips to Kenting towards the southern part of Taiwan.
I always loved nature, and beautiful places, especially beaches or large body of clear water. During my childhood, my parents didn't have a lot of counseling skills, so instead of talking to us about our worries, Dad took us to the ocean and spent the day there whenever he could. At the beach, he usually went fishing with my brother. My mom would catch something in the tide pools, sometimes made a fire to roast something, or prepare food while all of us played.. For some reason, we always felt better after spending a day at the beach, we weren't sure why, but the ocean washed our troubles away. So all of us loved the ocean.
When I first came to Taiwan, I was excited that we are surrounded by ocean. But we live in a big city. Day in and day out, I see concrete buildings, roads and cars.... and people everywhere. Where is the ocean? It took me a while to find Cijin, which was a ferry ride away. I must admit, it was disappointing when I first saw it. The sand is grayish black, and the beach is packed with people. From the ferry building to the beach is a road much like the night market, full of food vendors. It smelled funny, like grease and dirty water. There were trash left by the visitors. Well, since this is the closest beach to me, I felt somewhat responsible, so I would go and pick up the trash on the beach in the early mornings, doing my small part to beautify the environment.
Gradually, I found more natural beauty around me. It may not be the ocean, but it is often a breath of fresh air. I walk to the Central park most mornings. It's crowded but there are big trees and a pond. There is an art museum and the park around it is quite nice. If I have time, I love to go biking at Weiwuying, a music concert hall with a huge park around it. Sometimes there would be outdoor concert there but I love the pond and bridges. Some tropical trees are pretty unique there.
Then I found Kenting, which is at the southern tip of Taiwan, about 3 hour bus ride from me. Oh, it is beautiful there! Some beaches have white sand, and the ocean is sparkling blue on a clear sunny day. I love to go there even though it's a 6 hour round-trip bus ride. Seeing the ocean is worth it.
I accidentally discovered that going to beautiful places once a week makes me much happier, even if I went in the rain or a scorching hot day. Seeing the vast ocean makes my problems seemed so small and petty. It reminds me that God loves beauty and He loves us enough to place beauty all around us. It's amazing how beautiful our planet Earth is compared to other plants because He made it just right for us. In my busyness, I often forget to appreciate it. Even just looking at the leaves of plants and trees around my neighborhood, so different and so many variations! Now I take time to notice.
It turns out that the experts say that the element of "AWE" is important in increasing happiness. Who knew?!! So simple!
Indoors, we can add some beauty too. I collect some shells and fossils and pretty rocks. Surrounding our space with beauty is important. Not too much, just some accents here and there to remind ourselves how amazing God is for the days we cannot go out. But I do find that staring at the screen drastically reduce my happiness level.
I appreciate beautiful pictures and marble sculptures at the art museums. Artistic beauty. Some literature and writings are so well written, I really am in awe. Don't forget music! Some music is so beautiful. Just today when I was dragging my tired feet at the MRT station, I heard a song of Bach, my favorite composer! (I know, I'm weird) It was barely noticeable, but I heard it and it lifted my spirits. At church, there are new and different flower arrangements every Sunday. They are lovely to look at. If we pay attention, we won't have to go too far to find something beautiful.
Of course, the last category is Moral beauty. There are some pretty wonderful people around us who are kind and generous. Some are strangers. Some are friends. Some are family. At times, we are too self-absorbed to notice. When we do notice and even tell them, it makes the world a much better place. I know I am definitely blessed and inspired by the kindness of others. Thank God there are still people like them in this world!
Beauty is all around us: natural, artistic and moral beauty. Take time to notice, appreciate and be in awe. You will soon find that you feel much happier and grateful. I know I do.
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