All the beauty

In this weather, there are a million other things to do around campus instead of noticing beauty; such as, watching people slip on the ice. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that some sick part of me finds witnessing this act to be deeply satisfying. But recently I realized that when this is all I do, there are a lot of things that I’m missing.\nGiven the time of the year and the weather we are having, I notice the spirits of those around me drop considerably. Everyone is depressed, everyone lacks energy and everyone is overwhelmed with the enormity of his or her own isolation and suffering. Even those who are enviously happy, the other three seasons of the year seem to be finding it difficult to scrape together enough motivation to leave their rooms to socially participate with the rest of the world. \nLast week, when the temperature reached the low 40s, it seemed like a miracle. Something felt suddenly less dead inside of me, as I listened to the snow begin to melt away under my feet. For once, I wasn’t anxious to go back to sleep after my classes so I took a walk around campus, and for the first time in a long time, I paid attention.\nWhat I saw was not at all reminiscent of the recent negativity and desperation that I felt from so many people. What I saw, strangely, were subtle signs of hope.\nNext to the Jordan River are some stubby logs that stick up from the ground. This was the first time I noticed them because each one was clothed in a miniature knitted scarf and hat. I realize that logs don’t have neurons and don’t get cold. But as I stood in awe of this sight, I could feel even my own cynicism begin to melt away as my first reaction was to view this, not as an act of idiocy, but as a great gesture of hope. I pictured the anonymous student kneeling down in the snow to cover these logs with the miniature knitted articles of clothing. Someone was trying to spread warmth in a way that held no expectation of receiving anything in return.\nAt another point in my walk, my eyes settled on the word “love,” written in perfect cursive on the pure white snow. A beautifully innocent reminder, I thought, that we don’t all, in fact, hate one another.\nSpring will be here soon enough and undoubtedly holds the promise of heightened spirits. In the meantime, I challenge you to notice all the gestures of beauty that are already present. Even on the dreariest days, hope is still spreading wide on this campus like the cracks in the ice.\nEven Anne Frank, victim of the Holocaust who witnessed a greater scale of suffering than we will ever know, was still able to step back and so wisely say, “Look at all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”