Puddles aren't the only things we start to see as obstacles as we grow older and perhaps, out of our wise-ness. Have you ever had the treat of watching children ride bikes? They're not doing it to burn calories, they're doing it because it's flat out fun. Pedaling up a hill means you've won an invisible race, not "gotten your burn on." Asking mom or dad if you can go on a bike ride isn't the equivalent of asking them to drop you off at a spin class. When did FUN become WORK? When did opportunities become obstacles? 

This topic certainly isn't a new one, but it's worth the reminder that this philosophical question is answered in a matter of perspectives. It's a mind game. Is the day ahead of you an obstacle or an opportunity? 

We're seeing beautiful in today being an opportunity. Wanna jump in puddles with us?

So when it comes down to it, worry is really just wasting the time we could be using seeing beautiful.

As you feel worry creeping in today, remember the wheel. Where does your worry fall on the wheel? Is it a real issue you can do something about? Great, do it. If not, shift your focus to seeing beautiful. It's better for you!

Do you know your story matters? It does. 
Do you tell it? You should.

 Kelly Rae Roberts tells her story, and it's a beautiful one that inspires others. This is a piece of her collection. Are you seeing beautiful? We do.

Kelly Rae Roberts' thinking about her work emulates the mission of See Beautiful. She shares, "My hope is that my work invokes a sense of clarity and peace within you as you walk your own path in life, and that it inspires you discover your own limitlessness."

We think this philosophy, matched with her art, exemplifies many ways to see beautiful:
1. Find clarity and peace in the every day.
2. Be inspired by art (and you define the art).
3. Discover your own limitlessness and be empowered by doing so.
4. Remember that your story matters.
5. Honor your voice and tell your story.

* Kelly Rae Roberts website * Kelly Rae Roberts blog * Kelly Rae Roberts on Twitter * 
* Kelly Rae Roberts on Facebook  *  

Here we some of the first words that others shared when viewing the pictures:

• Old
• Rickety
• Unsafe
• Broken
• Dangerous
• Rusty
• Unkempt
• Trash
• Eye-sore
• Uninhabitable
• In need of repair
• Worthless

All these words were generated from staring at the outside of the house, no one peeked in. If they had looked inside the house they would have found a cozy nest, two adult blue jays, and their four babies. A happy family in a happy home. What the outside of their home looked like didn't phase them in their choice of making a comfortable place on the inside. They didn't need landscapers or request a new roof. They didn't require a paint job or overflowing sun-loving plants in planters.
Life lessons from a rickety old bird house: It's the ages-old saying, "It's what's on the inside that counts." If we'd judged the birdhouse from the outside, it might appear "worthless" or "broken". From the inside, it's life-giving and inspiring. What do we look at in life like the birdhouse? Do we notice and critique the outside? Do we do this with ourselves? Or, do we take the extra step and peek inside, finding countless ways to see beautiful.

Brilliantly written by one of the most inspiring educators, theorist and curriculum developers, Loris Malaguzzi of Reggio Emilia, it honors the beautiful and many languages of children and ways we can honor them:

The Hundred Languages of Children​

No way.
The hundred is there.
The child is made of one hundred.
The child has a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
a hundred, always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds to discover
a hundred worlds to invent
a hundred worlds to dream.
The child has a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and Christmas.
They tell the child
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says
“No way – The hundred is there.”
​
What hundred ways can you see beautiful in the actions of a child today? It's a wonderful task to set about doing.

If you live in the United States, you know today is Independence Day. If you live outside of the USA, think lots of hotdog and hamburger grilling, potato salad buying, beer drinking, and camaraderie. The "independence" part of Independent Day got us thinking about ways to see beautiful. How can you give yourself time for your self? That led us to our nifty "50 ways to celebrate your independence"...and see beautiful in each.


1. Take a leisurely stroll around your neighborhood.
2. Find, purchase, and read a book you've been hearing about and wishing you could read.
3. Enjoy a bath with the book you just purchased.
4. Drive your car with no radio to give your mind a chance to relax (obviously not relaxing to the extent you're not paying attention to the road).
5. Explore your front or back yard or surrounding environment for new things.
6. Volunteer anywhere...though we have a few ideas below.
7. Write in a journal.
8. Linger on See Beautiful's new website: www.seebeautiful.com (sorry, we couldn't help it).
9. Go to a movie you've been wanting to see all by yourself.
10. Indulge in snacks at the movie theater.
11. Do a crossword puzzle.
12. Go to a yoga class. Hot yoga is REALLY relaxing.
13. Lay on the floor in your bedroom to stretch your back.
14. Visit a local park.
15. Lay in the grass at the local park.
16. Feed the ducks at the local park.
17. Visit a National Park.
18. Go hiking.
19. Enjoy a picnic.
20. Stop at a neighborhood lemonade stand.
21. Take your camera with you and snap photos of beautiful things you see.
22. Take a dog on a walk at your local dog shelter.
22. Buy yourself flowers.
23. Give yourself a manicure and pedicure.
24. Leave flowers on a friend's doorstep.
25. Plant a garden.
26. Make a meal from scratch.
27. Follow a family recipe from scratch.
28. Go to breakfast, lunch, or dinner by yourself.
29. Treat yourself to a massage.
30. Ride a bike.
31. Get streamers, a horn, a basket and flag for your bike.
32. Partake in a local 5k.
33. Over tip and enjoy your servers reaction.
34. Drink a cold glass of homemade iced tea or lemonade.
35. Put cucumber in your water for a refreshing glass of water.
36. Volunteer at your local food bank.
37. Rearrange your furniture.
38. Eat the veggies from your garden.
39. Drink a cold, cold beer.
40. Visit your local library.
41. Eat fresh watermelon, blueberries, strawberries...really any fruit in season.
42. Visit a local Farmer's Market.
43. Wander around the Farmer's Market and enjoy the scene.
44. Buy something eco-friendly for yourself!
45. Re-read your favorite blog post on this blog. :)
46. Do a handstand.
47. Dance while no one or everyone is watching. Who cares?
48. Send us the reason you're beautiful @ [email protected]
49. Eat an icecream sundae.
50. Sleep in.

110,586 people are waiting for an organ in the United States. 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives.

Are you registered to be an organ donor? In the United States, more than 86 million people are signed up to give the gift of life to others. The gift of life. The magnitude of those four words is significant, as they represent one of the most powerful ways to see beautiful in the world. One person, giving life to another seems to encapsulate the image of a truly selfless humanity. For those who understand this gift firsthand, either as loving someone who gave the gift, or being a recipient yourself, you recognize the beauty in the decision to become an organ donor. Nothing is the same as you decide that others lives can be lived because of you.
Depending on where you live, here are links to learn more about or sign up for becoming an organ donor (NOTE: after a search, these were prominent websites found):

- United States: www.organdonor.gov
- Canada: http://www.transplant.ca/pubinfo_becomedonor.htm
-Within the European Union, each member state regulates organ donation parameters, so check with your local state. The European Training Program on Organ Donation (ETPOD) is working to solidify Europe's donor program. ​

While we couldn't find many specific links to countries, we did find the Organ and Tissue Donation Blog that follows "national and international donate life efforts." It is a great resource for the latest news related to organ and tissue donation.

The following video was featured on viewchange.org, a non-profit that highlights stories of hope and progress. In this video, Bharati Phaked Date, a 14-year-old girl, explains how a bike is her gateway to making change in the world.


To watch the short Pedal=Sight Video click here.


For many people around the world, a bicycle is a toy or vehicle to take you from one place to another. For the ultimate protagonist of her own world-changing story, Bharati's bike represents her ability to change the world. Those two wheels represent hope, empowerment, and change and they carry the mind and heart of a girl committed to seeing beautiful.


Even if you don't have time to watch the video, the message sent is loud and clear. Next time you peel out of your home on your trusty bicycle perhaps you'll think about change and hope and empower and smile because you're balancing on an object that is bringing change into our world.