Did you ever wonder what it is about beauty that touches us so deeply? I’m talking about beauty that reaches down and seems to ignite something within. You feel loved. You feel whole. And you assign that feeling of love or wholeness to that person, place or thing. It’s that welled up feeling of rightness you get when something beautiful becomes your object of attention. Like when you look at your children with a love you never could have imagined or when you have deep appreciation or compassion. It’s the feeling you get when the wind blows across your face on a warm summer’s day, carrying with it a wiff of sage, or when your puppy crawls up onto your chest and nuzzles into your neck for a nap. It’s the feeling you get the moment you believe you have found your soulmate. You feel whole. You feel connected. And you want to feel that way forever. But what happens when that object of your attention moves away? When your children grow up and move on, creating a family of their own, when the sweet breeze turns to a dead calm and the hot sun begins to scorch the very ground upon which you walk. What happens when your soulmate becomes your ex?
Today I had a most extraordinary experience. I was feeling a little cooped up, having had pneumonia for the past week. So I found a nature preserve and ventured out into the unknown. I hiked for three hours and finally came upon a bench up in the higher elevation, far from the eyes and ears of less adventurous hikers. Inspired by the abundant beauty all around, I laid down on that bench, looking up into the trees, watching the birds dart from tree to tree and wondering what life is really all about. Then I closed my eyes listening to the sounds of the forest all around me: the tiny tweets of the sparrow, the scampering squirrel in the leaves, the deep hoot of an owl and the resonating sound of a woodpecker drilling away on a hollow tree. Completely enveloped in this extraordinary surround sound experience, I felt compelled to turn my head to the side and open my eyes. There, not five yards away was a little deer looking straight at me. I couldn’t help myself, “Well hello there, beautiful.” Slowly, I sat up to find there were two, no, three, no, four little deer eating their way toward me. One by one they perked their ears and looked at me, wagging their cute little white tails as if to confirm, “You’re cool, right?” Understanding that there is an energetic language between all beings, I put my hand on my heart and allowed the appreciation to surge. And there it was: the feeling of wholeness.
As I walked with them for the next 30 minutes, singing a low, repetitive tune along the way, I was struck by the power of nature and its beauty. Being there with these perfect creatures amidst the magnificence of the preserve, my heart felt whole. I felt that love, that rightness. In my youth I would have said, “I love those deer.” Like I said, “I love my boyfriend,” or, “I love my sister.” But as I get older and experience more and more aspects of love through varying objects of my attention, my understanding expands: It is not just the deer or the boyfriend I love. It is the love within me that they inspire. It’s the love, the beauty within me that they bridge me back to. And I realized:
“When I see something that makes my heart sing, like a flower blowing in the wind, my heart sings because that beauty lies within me, close to the surface. My heart recognizes a part of itself in that flower. It is the beauty from within that I’m feeling, not the flower outside. The flower is just a mirror.”
But there was more. Walking with the deer, in the beauty of nature, I was attuned to something higher in vibration and felt connected to everything. What is that connectedness? And what does beauty have to do with it? And how can I hold that feeling forever?
In most ancient traditions, there exist 4 elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire. But in some traditions, there is a 5th. It is described as the element that is the binding part that runs through all matter. Some Native Indian traditions call it the Web. Albert Einstein referred to it as the Ether. Sanskrit calls it Akasha. And in some ancient traditions, Beauty is considered the 5th element. Beauty! It was all beginning to make sense.
When we are touched by beauty, beauty of a person, place or a thing, we are instantly reunited with our own and become whole again. But Beauty is merely a bridge to a state of being: The state of being love. It is our lack of recognition of our own beauty that separates us.
When we don’t recognize our own beauty, those feelings of elation and connectedness are attributed to “I love you,” or “I am being loved.” When the truth is, what you’re experiencing is “I Am Love.” That’s a profound difference. And incredibly powerful. This is what is meant by “Love is eternal.”
As I turned and walked away from those beautiful deer, I felt no sadness, no regret for leaving them behind. I had no need to capture them, own them or label them. And I had no need to turn back around for more, for I was filled to the fullness of my heart. I took the path back down the mountain and rather than saying goodbye, I said hello. “Hello dear, beautiful friend. Hello me.” I started up my car, sat there for a moment, touching my hand to my heart still feeling that connectedness and I gave thanks, but not just for the deer. I gave thanks for myself, for I recognized the truth of who I am. I am love. And Beauty was the bridge that brought me home.
Nia, I don’t know as I fully get this beautiful sentiment. While I can accept the “it’s all in your head” and heart portion, And much of what I have felt of and about beauty and it’s clear power to soothe and satiate some intangible longing for connection in dream or imagination that brings about a feeling (or sensory perception) of wholeness. At the end of the day beauty real or imagined does matter to me and has made much of this journey of life tolerable and even optimistic in my most bleakest of moments. I suppose I am saying here “Virenia Gwendolyn” your beauty has mattered to me in the best of ways. And yes Nia I read and reread post and this is my heart response. Be well.
So well said my friend . That has opened up my day today for more love thank you linda flowers
Nia, perfect timing…
I have been trying to figure out how do I instill in my daughter something that will allow her to not look to others for false love or false strengths but to look to her self
what you wrote is perfect
This is an amazing piece! This is touching and very poetic! I love this. It touched my heart and it touched my mind thank you for sharing this lovely experience with us. This really is an amazing piece of.. Shall I say, art? Anyways. Beautiful work I would love to see more Nia. ❤️?
Nia, You have such a beautiful way with your words They had a nice calming effect on me Thank you, Gary
I know Nia, that you are well created and balance women that describes what you feel about everything. What you are revealing here is truly amazing, and thank you for sharing this with us. The feelings that you are experiencing I had this with my wife of 35 years. I n our life we experienced the joy of feeling happy, relaxed inside of ourselves. We especially felt in the country of Israel where we lived for 12 years. The other aspect of life in Israel never really bother us. Walking on the boardwalk in Tel-Aviv early in the morning, we would feel the calling of the Sea, telling you to walk among the rocky seashore, and feel the breeze on your face. Nature at its best. Life is precious, and we try to keep these memories’ alive, but returning to Canada my wife fell sick to Dementia, and for 2 years she is in nursing home. I am saying this because a person should cherish every moment of life. For me now losing my soul mate it has been very, but I manage to cope with it through music, yoga, and also 2 years ago I became a Fan of Sheree J. Wilson and you Nia. and I have to tell you that you guys make feel good inside. You and Sheree have given me courage to deal with my problems. Talking always helps it relieves the pain inside of oneself.
Yours Truly Ron
Thank you Nia
I truly love this blog and fully understand how you felt when reflecting on the love of family and self. This has happened to me randomly and only wish it occurred more often. Thanks for posting this.
This is real poetic and interesting! It’s also gives some advice to anyone about how to appreciate the beauty that comes from within and as well as what is around us. It also tells how to love yourself. I have been an interested viewer of this website because I have been wanted to find out more about this great multi-talented actress and dancer Nia Peeples. She has been one the most interesting and influential celebrity women that I have ever seen. I’m one of those people that ha grew up on seeing her on TV series such as Fame, Matlock,Walker Texas Ranger and on Movies. She’s a lovely fun-spirited personality. I would love to get some feedback from the actress soon. I look forward to more of the latest news on Nia!
Nia,
I understand the love you are talking about. On the day I received your email, it had been a typical one. Long day at work, long drive home. After being home a little while, I went onto my patio to enjoy the sunset with my dog. The peace I felt got even better, when I saw a doe poke her head out from behind one of the oak trees. I said, “Hello my friend, how was your day?” I fed her some corn I keep in a bin for them, and returned to my seat. As I watched her, two of her friends, and my dog, I felt the type of love you spoke of. A love of life, and a love for the type of person I am. One who enjoys the beautiful things God gives us, and loves knowing what it means.
Peace my friend,
Lance
This is real poetic and interesting! It’s also gives some advice to anyone about how to appreciate
the beauty that comes from within and as well as what is around us. It also tells you about how to
love yourself. I have been an interested viewer of this website because I have wanted to find out more about this amazing multi-talented actress and dancer Nia Peeples. She has been one of the most interesting and influential celebrity women that I have ever seen on television. I’m one of those people ( a younger generation) who grew up on watching TV series where she has
been on such as Fame, Matlock, Walker Texas Ranger, hosted a dance music show called the Party Machine and on movies. She is a wonderful fun-spirited personality and looks real good for someone who is in her 50’s. She also has good fashion trend style and along with a good sense of humor.
I was a bit surprise that the actress first name is not really Nia ( it is Virenia). I would love to get some feedback from the actress soon on this website. Hopefully this health and Beauty site will
last long enough. I look forward to more of the latest news on Nia!
This is real poetic and interesting! It also some advice to anyone about how to appreciate the things around us and encourages to find the beauty (the spirit) that lies within you. It even talks about how to love yourself. Learning how to accept who you are and the things in life. I have been an interested viewer (browser) of this website because I have been wanted to find out more
about this amazing multi-talented actress and dancer Nia Peeples who happens to be the founder of this Fitness and Beauty website. She is one of my favorite celebrity since the 80’s. I believed that she may be one of the most admired and influential celebrity women in television. I’m one of those people who grew up on seeing her on hit TV series such as Fame, Matlock, Walker Texas Ranger, Hosted a few dance/music show one called “The Party Machine and Top of the Pops. She has also been on some movies such as North Shore, Deep Star Six, Half Past Dead, Inside Out and Battle of Los Angeles. She is such a wonderful-fun spirited personality as a
guess on a talk show. I would love to get some feedback from this great talented actress on the website real soon! I look forward to more of the latest news on Nia!