The life you are currently living is a result of your past. It’s a combination of every decision you’ve made, every place you’ve been, every thought you’ve simmered in, every feeling you’ve digested, and every person you’ve connected with. But the beauty in our human existence is that at any point in time, we have the ability to change what our moments consist of. If you are dissatisfied with where you are or feel resentment towards your story, you do have the power to shift your circumstances. But it is only up to you—because the future you aspire to experience is a result of your now. It is rooted in the decisions you make today, the places you explore, the thoughts you dissect, the feelings you absorb, and the people you encounter, all in this present moment. The secret to pivoting where you are headed is simple—be where your feet are and match the energetic vibration of the life you seek. There is peace in this. It is always available to you. Don’t let the beauty of life escape you. See the world as the temple that it is. Let every experience be churchlike. Marvel at the fact that any of this exists — that you exist. Even when we are killing each other in pointless wars, even when we are killing ourselves with pointless work, we can stop and bathe in the beauty that surrounds us, always. Let it calm you. Let it cleanse you. Today was a lovely day because all I did was sit still in front of the water with a friend of mine and I watched the sun dance on the river and I listened to the people chattering next to me about their dinner yesterday evening and I watched the old man shake his head as he listened to his music and I overheard a dark-skinned man breathing in and out as he ran around the river path and I felt the sensation of the wind blowing through my hair and I engaged in a wholesome conversation that made me feel enlightened and I didn’t question anything that was happening around me and instead I opened my ears and my heart and my mind and allowed the world to continue doing its thing and I took it all in and I think that was what made it so lovely because I didn’t expect nor wish anything substantial to happen, the world just happened around me and I noticed all of it, and somehow the collective efforts of the souls surrounding me allowed me to realize that what is significant in this life isn’t the grand events but instead the micro intricacies that simultaneously intertwine around us, connecting us as one. It is moments like these I wish I could capture and revisit forever. However, philosophically, the collection of ideas are very much centered around having a positive outlook on everything or giving it purpose. It's highly optimistic, and motivational in that way. But in that, sometimes the tone felt a little unrealistic or ignorant to the practicality of our modern problems. Poems titled 'life is meant to be enjoyed at every moment,' didn't resonate with me. Though she explores the purpose of pain and it's importance, she also tends to almost expect... you to view tragedy in a happy light. And though it is purposeful to consider the lessons hardship brings us, it is also okay for it to be.. not okay. To simply grieve without intellectualising the process. The reality of that I felt was not prevailed enough to take a lot of this seriously. If we miss contentment, then that is often our own fault—and the fault not of our bodies but of our souls.” — Plutarch

In 1926, writer Rose Wilder Lane wrote of looking out over the grassy plateau in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia:

Published by Thought Catalog Books, Brooklyn NY. Also available in digital format. Available from Thought Catalog Books at ShopCatalog.com Beauty remains, even in misfortune,” she wrote. “If you just look for it, you discover more and more happiness and regain your balance.” You fel misiligned and imbalanced. Confusion, desperaion, nosal- i pain and lonclncss allorbi around your hear and your mind. Your The biggest changes we see in our lives are rooted in the smallest habits. They’re how we spend the first hour of our mornings. They’re how we nourish our bodies through food. They’re how we speak to ourselves when no one is around. They’re in the films we watch, the music we listen to, the content we consume. They’re the people we give ourselves access to. The way we move our bodies. Where and how we spend our money. When we shift the little intricacies of our lives—when we reconsider how we leverage our personal doings with the outer world—we will notice grand shifts that will realign us on our paths to greatness. We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones.” — Henry David Thoreau

Beauty In Stillness can read at times like a sweet nudge, reminding us that we shouldn’t let past regrets or future worries steal our joy, instead, we should cherish and appreciate the beauty of life as it comes to us. These quotes are like our personal cheerleaders, guiding us on a journey towards a richer, self-curated life experience. Despite it all, beauty seemed to reign. “As long as this exists,” Anne thought to herself, “this sunshine and this cloudless sky, and as long as I can enjoy it, how can I be sad?” These rhyming poems about silence are playful and melodic explorations of stillness, inviting the reader to engage with the beauty and power of silence in a unique and memorable way. 1. Silent Dreams It’s ironic that stillness is rare and fleeting in our busy lives, because the world creates an inexhaustible supply of it. It’s just that nobody’s looking. After his breakdown and nearly two years of struggle and depression resulting from overstimulation and too much study, where did John Stuart Mill find peace again for the first time? In the poetry of William Wordsworth. And what was the inspiration of so much of Wordsworth’s poetry? Nature. Walking around, even on a bad day, I would see things – I mean just the things that were in front of me. People’s faces, the weather, traffic. The smell of petrol from the garage, the feeling of being rained on, completely ordinary things. And in that way even the bad days were good, because I felt them and remembered feeling them. There was something delicate about living like that – like I was an instrument and the world touched me and reverberated inside me.

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For those who yearn to live in the present moment, who seek reflection through heartbreak, comfort during times of loneliness, or guidance while healing, Beauty In The Stillness provides the words you need to read right now. May this book allow you to shed layers that no longer align, and walk away with more clarity. space for new experience, beginnings, and les- sons. But s only when we grive,reflect, and learn hat we can eventuall respond Was it a wrench? “Yes. There was something so perfect for me about that job. It was like this big shell around me. But I found that I wanted something that was not so perfect – and writing a book is certainly that.” In any case, it is all still there, waiting for him. He can visit any time he likes. And nothing really changes. As he observes in his book, when the Met looks different, it is often the beholder who has been transformed in some way, not the museum itself. In the decade he spent on its staff, several wings were renovated, and hundreds of new objects were acquired. Mostly, though, all that happened was that artworks from 50 centuries just got 10 years older. If we want to be good and feel good, we have to do good…Dive in when you hear the cry for help. Reach out when you see the need. Do kindness where you can. Because you’ll have to find a way to live with yourself if you don’t.”

These long poetries about silence allow the poets to delve into the complexities and nuances of stillness, providing a detailed and nuanced reflection on the power of silence. 1. The Silence Within When you baance yourselfwithin and understand the source of your felings and emotions, you can decide to let them pass, creating ieedom from what wasisto bonor it as icisfully and whollyand respond diferndl than previ- ous imes. You need to mave above the These breaking silence poems reflect on the many ways in which speaking out can shape our lives and encourage us to embrace the courage and strength it takes to break our own silence. 1. Breaking Silence The philosopher must cultivate the poet’s eye — the ability to see beauty, even in the banal or terrible.

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Go outside. Take a walk. Look around. Pay attention. Be curious. Marvel. Wonder. Bathe in the beauty that surrounds us, always. 3) REMEMBER: HUMAN BEING , NOT HUMAN DOING Make it a priority and let others know in your life so that they can honor this time you are setting aside for yourself.” 4. Find a favorite spot There is a story about the Zen master Hyakujo, who was approached by two students as he began his morning chores on the farm attached to his temple. When the students asked him to teach them about the Way, he replied, “You open the farm for me and I will talk to you about the great principle of Zen.”