Looking up at the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah and finding more than I expected. I love the cloudy blue sky, the verdigris steeple, and the jet stream that mirrors it.
This week, we’ve enjoyed a getaway in Savannah, Georgia. The historic district in Savannah is one of our favorite places to be, so we’ve made many trips there over the years. There’s so much beauty to see and history to learn about, so when we go, we walk a lot.
Now, I confess, I’m mostly a fair-weather walker. I don’t like to exercise outside when it’s cold, other than to run from the car to a toasty warm interior of some sort. When it’s cold, my sweet husband often walks our dog by himself—with my blessing and gratitude.
But when the weather is above, say, 55 degrees, I really enjoy walking outside.
Being outside clears my head and helps put my life and circumstances into perspective. Walking not only makes me feel better physically but also spiritually, because when I’m alone, I often pray along the way.
I almost always find beauty when I walk. In fact, I’m looking for it.
I look for interesting things but also “ordinary” things from interesting angles.
You can do this too, if you’d like. Here are four ways I look for beauty and some photos from our walks in Savannah to show you what I mean.
1. Look up.
The details at the top of this home—at the rooflines and the top of the porch—are as interesting as those below. The overcast sky makes them stand out.
The vibrant deep-pink blooms on this tall crape myrtle stand out against light colored brick behind. Silver-gray Spanish moss festoons the branches. This tree taught me that Spanish moss hangs in trees other than the legendary live oaks all over Savannah and throughout the Southeast.
2. Look down.
In historic Savannah, you have to watch your step, because antique cobblestones, vintage bricks, and uneven sidewalks can send you sprawling. But as I was watching my step in the alley behind our back door, I found signs of life in the grit among the vintage bricks.
If I had focused only on the beautiful historic buildings during our walk, I would have missed glimpsing these colorful, perky flowers and the green ivy beyond.
3. Look closely.
This purple African lily seemed to be hovering above the walkway until I realized that it was lying on the black chain. The stem was bent but the flower's beauty wasn't diminished by the sturdy support.
As we walked along the sidewalk on our way to get ice cream at Leopold’s, we passed this ivy-colored wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that this wasn’t just an ivy-covered wall, but someone had carefully pruned the vines to frame an iron gate and door behind it. Not only was the beauty of the greenery functional—covering the wall—but it was also cultivated and cared for. Not wild, in this case, but orderly, as beauty often is.
4. Look long.
This is the same square in the photo of the African lily above. I wanted to get a photo of the church, but I wanted all the beauty leading up to it, too. So instead of just a close-up of the church, I took the long view.
This pink house captures my eye every time I see it. I wanted to include not only the house, the ironwork railing, and the tree with the dripping moss that seemed to divide the house in two. But I also wanted to include the white azaleas blooming in the foreground. So I stood way back, on the other side of the street, behind the azaleas and framed the shot to include the matching pink wall on the right of the house. The azaleas cover part of the black truck, which seems to recede into the dark-green shrubbery behind it. The beauty of the pink house, the tree, the symmetry, and the azaleas make this one of my favorite photos from our many visits to Savannah.
These four ways of looking for beauty mentioned here have helped me find some wonderful moments of beauty to share with you. I hope you find them helpful too.
Now it's your turn. Make a date with yourself to go outside this week and look for beauty in these ways. Then let me know what you find. If you send me a photo of it, I may use it on my blog or Facebook (with your permission).
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