Hyacinths

I brought my laptop home, but somehow left the power cord at school, so I'm blogging from my phone again. When I get to a real computer, I'll embed the YouTube videos or change them to links. For now, just do the old -fashioned cut-and-paste into your browser.

My mom enjoys spending time making her home beautiful. As you know if you've ever been to my house, I'm a total failure in that department. It's not that I don't want a beautiful home, it's just that I don't want to spend the time and money to do it. I was explaining this to my mom and she quoted one if her favorite poems.

"If, of thy mortal goods, thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves
alone to thee are left,
Sell one & from the dole,
Buy Hyacinths to feed the soul"
-Muslihuddin Sadi,
13th Century Persian Poet

I love the idea. We all need beauty in our lives and nourishing our souls through beauty is as important as nourishing our bodies with food. But, I'm a bread addict, and hyacinths can cause irritation to people like me with sensitive skin.

Seriously though, being able to see and experience beauty is essential to our well being. My house might not be beautiful, but I see beauty every day. I have to be really careful about driving at sunset, because sometimes I get so caught up in the breath-taking view that I forget to pay attention to driving. I'll pull over at random times to take pictures of trees or flowers. I crave beauty and I have to get me fix every day.

Here are 3 of my "hyacinths" from this week. OK, to be honest, it hasn't just been this week. These are songs I come back to frequently. The ending of the first one brings me to tears every time. The other two are definitely in the top ten most beautiful songs ever written. These songs speak to me. They tear at my soul and make me feel whether I want to or not. They may not have the same effect on you, but find the songs, or the art, or whatever beauty that exists that makes you feel something beyond yourself and keep it close for those times when you need "hyacinths".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC0qzrGA0MI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQZep0kWD9Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfXJ72qZftA&feature=youtube_gdata_player




-- Posted from my iPhone