Beautiful, broken, world.

If you never had an enemy, would you understand the worth of a friend?

-Warren Barfield

So.

Raise your hand if you've ever seen a girl with makeup.

Raise your hand if you've ever seen a guy look in the mirror.

Raise your hand if you have read a headline on a new diet.

Raise your hand if you have ever defined beauty as being associated with one

or all of the above.

Raise your hand.

Because you have.

I've noticed I have some sort of magnetic pull towards things things with quotes.

Little things:

-Jones Soda bottle caps

-Dove chocolate wrappers

-Fortune Cookies

-Starbucks cups

-Taco Bell sauces

-Valentines conversation hearts

I especially love, and am notorious for doing this:

-Writings quotes on walls and bathroom stalls

-Stickers that say simple things

-One-word letters

Which is maybe why it makes my day every time I drive

through Fountain Square and read

"You Are Beautiful"

on the roof of Dolphin. I LOVE things like that.

I think Beautiful is an amazing word. In fact, I think it's my favorite.

How often do you find true beauty?

How often do you feel truly beautiful?

I adore finding the words "You Are Beautiful" because I know that the word

is getting out! Someone has decided to take it upon themselves to

remind the world just how beautiful they are. Despite the negatives that seem to

be in play all around us, it is a beautiful world.

The only beautiful things are the things that do not concern us

-Oscar Wilde

Lately, a lot of terrible things have been brought to my eye in our world.

Strangely enough, along with noticing those things, I've also noticed what is truly

beautiful.

Like quotes.

Memory.

A child's smile.

Talents.

Light.

Silly things, I suppose.

But I like them.

Yes, there are hardships. There is sin, there is disgusting, heart stabbing things

out there. But that's just how it is. That is a part of this life, and I am sick of

focusing on them! I'm tired of hearing only about the

really good or really bad things in the news. What about the simple stuff?

How many of you know what First Friday is here in Indy?

It's one thing I can count on being there to make me feel surreal. A vacation of

sorts, for me. How many of you know the number of short films created

in a single day? You can Google it. But how many of those

are films that made someone reflect on their life? Made them cry even? Smile?

I have things that mean a lot to me, for little or no reason at all. And so do you.

I challenge you to make a list this week.

Or just tomorrow!

Of some of the simple pleasures in your life that maybe you don't notice.

Or ones that you notice, but others don't.

Here's a tiny part of mine:

Prayer

Stars

Shoelaces

Door handles

Flowers

Simple words

Dollar menu

Work

Internet

Snail mail

Telephone lines

Rocks

Pencils

Thought

Rhythm

Coffee

Medicine

Mailman

Trash bags

Rain

Shower curtains

Socks

Sunglasses

Friends

Gas stations

Enemies

Kids

Paint

Soap

Street signs

Stop lights

Clouds

Buildings

Dirt

Senses

Movies