Looking for the beauty

Posted on by WritingfromtheheartwithBrian

I was grumpy.

I was up late working on a work project. And I was exhausted. Of course, the next morning I had an especially busy one. I would be in back-to-back meetings until late in the afternoon, when I needed to make several errands.

One errand was to the local car wash to clean my car. I guess this is the point of the story where I need to admit that I have a few neat freak tendencies. I’m especially tidy when it comes to my car. Since I’ve commuted upwards of 60 minutes per trip for much of my working career and spend so much of my time in my car, I hate to see my car filled up with the normal trash that we all seem to accumulate in our normal day. You know what I mean: empty soda bottles, water jugs, the flimsy paper sleeves used to cover plastic straws, post-it notes, food wrappers, and convenience store receipts. My family likes to poke fun of me for my neat freak habits. I have my reasons though. I figure that if I’m going to be in the car for long stretches — than I want to keep it nice.

I wish I could work on the engine and preserve the car that way, but I’m a mess mechanically. Keeping my car at least externally clean feels like the least I can do.

My schedule lately has been a bit out of whack and I’ve been on the go. I haven’t had a chance to keep it as nice as I would like. Normally, I like to clean it myself. However, I was in a hurry. I decided to take it to a local automatic car wash. They would wash the exterior and then give the inside a quick wipe down and vacuum.

I paid for my car to be cleaned, but I got something much more valuable in return. The car wash gave me a quick lesson on beauty and appreciation. Here’s what I learned:

  • As the car wash mechanism pulled my car through the wash, I looked out the window and was welcomed by a stunning sea of soapy colors. Skittles candy, a popular chewy fruit-flavored candy in the U.S., frequently runs commercials with the tagline “Taste the rainbow.” I can’t speak to the taste, but sitting in my car, I stared wide-eyed at red, orange, yellow, green, yellow, blue, and violet colored rainbow. I fully expected to see a Disco Ball hanging from the ceiling and Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” playing on the speaker. “Let’s dance, the last dance, Let’s dance, this last dance tonight.” If not Donna Summer, I expected to hear the Bee Gees singing “Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive, ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive.” As crazy as it sounds, I was in a much better mood. Dare I say it, I was feeling almost chipper.

  • When the 70s nightclub routine had run its course, I got out of my car. I gave way to the workers to finish cleaning up my car’s interior. I took a seat in the waiting room and looked up in front of me. The car wash kept car cleaners and scented air fresheners for customers to buy. I noticed too that they had a small aisle of greeting cards. One card had a cute picture of a baby. The baby’s eyes were full of excitement and love. I wasn’t in the mood to be vulnerable or to open up. I wanted to stay in my own little zone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone else or get moved with emotion. The longer I sat in the waiting room, though, I couldn’t help but notice how much the baby on the card faintly resembled my sons when they were the same age. The smile. The chubby cheeks. The look of glee at the simplest things. Oh, yes, there really is good in the world.
  • A courtroom drama played on a TV in the background, Judge Judy or something like that. I tried hard to avoid watching it. I find shows like that to be insulting and really not all that entertaining. Instead, I found myself watching an older grandfather. He was trying to keep his young grandson busy by reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He seemed as taken in by the book as his grandson. How could I not see the beauty and excitement in that?

  • Finally, when my wait went a little longer than expected, I opened my phone and started reading a news story on how college students in my area were raising money for children with cancer. I don’t know if it was the story, their good deed, or just my change of spirit. It reminded me that life has its ups and its downs. We’re going to experience both. It’s up to us how we’re going to respond. Yes, yes, I want to respond positively. I want to enjoy life. I want to help others, not suffer through Life.

Yes, the world is a strange and beautiful place. Look for the good.

. . . . . . . . .

Check out my personal lifestyle blog at www.writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com to read other pieces by me. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at @writingfromtheheartwithbrian. Thanks for reading.

37 thoughts on “Looking for the beauty”

  1. Love this post…how you captured the moment so beautifully. I had no idea the images were of a car wash until I read. And this line: “When the 70s nightclub routine had run its course, I got out of my car”? So good! Thank you, Brian! 🥰

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  2. Pingback: Taking it all in – Writing from the Heart with Brian

    1. Oh, it’s strange alright. Ha, ha. When I get frustrated with things, I find that I’m coming back to that simple phrase a lot. It becomes less about tilting at windmills and more about accepting, understanding, and being amazed with the beauty that really exists. Something like that. Ha, ha.

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  4. One of the most remarkable things about humans is how our moods can shift so quickly. The simplests of activities or encounters can make the biggest changes.

    I appreciated the Donna Summer and Bee Gees references. That brings back a lot of good memories.

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    1. I’m a little fearful that some of my blog posts are starting to sound repetitive but with all the bad news and obstacles that exist . . . I keep trying to turn off the news and internet and come back to the simple things like simple advice. It’s the stuff I need to cheer myself up. I figure it might be the same stuff that works for others too. 😎😎😎😎

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  11. Such beautiful photos captured from a seemingly everyday moment. Love the 70s nightclub comparison. I totally see it!

    It reminds me of the first times I took T to the car wash and I loved watching and seeing how mesmerized he was. To view the world with those eyes are a gift.

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  13. OMG – I left a comment about Donna Summer when you mentioned the car wash on your personal blog before even reading this one! Too funny. I was already going to mention that we are kindred spirits because I am fastidiously about keeping my car clean, too. I will never understand how people can let crap pile up in theirs. Drives me crazy (pun intended).

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