And reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin'

I recently discovered Grooveshark, and made a sharable playlist:
http://grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Bkmusic/57438162
^It's a lot of electronic stuff, but good for working on the computer.
I'll be making another playlist soon for driving or sitting on the back porch. Also, regular updates should be expected.

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Have you ever been hit by the reality of how beautiful existence is? Not any particular or isolated aspect, but the pure harmony of existence?

This happened to me this afternoon. I was driving back from Virginia with a friend of mine and something in our conversation caused me to close my eyes for a moment and allow myself to be struck by how incredible my life has been up until this point. I have had such unbelievable opportunity and experiences. I think that, far too often, people get so caught up in the task at hand or the necessities of their current pursuit that they remove any inessential distractions. Unfortunately, this often includes the details of life.
I realized that I was as guilty of this as anyone.
On my way home, I stopped off in Boone, NC to walk around the Appalachian State University campus. It was the first time that I had been able to do that since graduating. I took time to look at things that I had walked right by on a daily basis for four years. I made a point to keep my eyes and ears as open as they could be.
I was captivated by what I saw around me.
I had to stop to sit and watch the critters crawl around the flowers more than once. I tried to feel every gust when a breeze blew by and pick out the individual bird songs.
This all sounds very whimsical and un-masculine, I know. But if I could bottle that feeling and sell it, I guarantee you that I would be a very rich man.
Take the time to appreciate the purity of Creation once in a while. It can be quite humbling.

The reason that we had traveled to Virginia was to be in the wedding of a good friend of ours. The trip was much more than we expected. All us out-of-towners were put up in a bed-and-breakfast that had a pool with a waterfall. It was the nicest place that I have ever been to. Definitely eye-opening.
I realize how much there is out in the world to experience, and how limited my scope is.
If there is one thing that I pulled from the weekend (and not due to any direct happening, but more by incidental pondering), it is that I need to be more appreciative of how great my life has been so far. In addition, I need to make things happen. It sounds simple, but I understand that the only thing separating what I am capable of from what I am actually doing is my own laziness and apprehension of making the wrong decision.
Live your life fully. Do what you love and do it well. Help others along the way. Make a difference.




Additionally, and just as an aside, I'm evidently still a little shaky with my confidence around a pretty girl.