Beauty in Your Own Backyard

Recently, I spent some time admiring the beauty of the Delaware river and the mountains that serve as its background. In that half hour, I felt refreshed and inspired. The time I spent was so peaceful.
I saw puffy, white clouds floating in the same river as the ducks. Hungry fish swam to the surface, creating endless ripples, as if to greet me before swimming away. A family with two small children sat quietly in a raft, just floating along and taking in the scenery. A man played fetch with his black lab along the grassy shore, where they both collapsed together, showing their affection for eachother with a backscratch and a nuzzle.
All too often, we rush through life with one eye open, only seeing things we have to. We no longer pay attention to the simple things, that are also the most wonderful. Instead, we speed off to work, forgetting our turn signal, but remembering to blame oncoming traffic for our mistakes. We hurry to the post office, neglecting to hold the door for the lady behind us. We arrive home to our families and go our seperate ways, spending time alone rather than getting to know each other.
Walking along the river, I felt at ease. I was reminded of the simple things in life, and that there still is beauty left in this world. I was inspired to take my time and look around.
There is so much to see in life, and it's all right there in front of us; we just choose to look past it out of habit. Caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, we forget the joys of hearing a baby laugh. We turn our heads from the flap of butterfly wings, not even noticing their beauty. We walk into our very own backyard and no longer realize how amazing the world really is.
Of course we're busy with work, family, soccer games and communtiy events. But if we all took a half hour of our time to enjoy life's pleasures, the world would be an even better place to live.