Beauty Above Me

Too often, I forget to look up. I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing, that I forget to look up and see the beauty around me. We all do it.

When I lived in Arizona, after a time, the beautiful vistas I saw every day became routine. If I looked with purpose to see the mountains, I could still see the beauty, but most of the time, I took it for granted.

We're taught, as American Indians, to greet God in the morning - to thank God for giving us the gift of life each new day. (Technically, we are supposed to do this at dawn, but since God gave me ADHD, I have to think that he understands that mornings are tough.)

As a Cherokee, I sing the morning song and say my morning prayer. The purpose of the prayer is to show gratitude for God and to remind me of the beauty around me.

I'm very fortunate to have lived and visited so many beautiful places. But even in the middle of Kansas, there is beauty to be seen (a gift from my mother is to see that beauty).

I adapted a Navajo prayer to conform to my Cherokee culture, where we have seven points of reference, instead of six. I also use the Cherokee order of the cardinal points.

Beauty above me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty below me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the East of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the South of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the West of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty to the North of me, I walk in beauty,
Beauty within me, I walk in God's beauty every day of my life.

As in all things Indian, there is a lot of meaning packed into "beauty". Beauty is a metaphor for love, for instance. Each cardinal point has its own meaning ascribed to it, as well. For the purpose of this post, it serves to remind us that we are surrounded by beauty each moment in our lives.

Most importantly in this age of bad body image and where the world can beat down your spirit, the last line reminds me that I have value and beauty in God's eyes. I have a pretty healthy ego, but it still helps me to remember that I often view myself from the wrong perspective.

I have friends from every religion and even atheists. I respect each person's right to choose his or her religion or lack thereof.

But, I think that every one of us needs to pause each day and feel gratitude for the beautiful things that we are fortunate enough to see and experience every day. We need to believe that there is something bigger than ourselves - above, below, around and within us.