Harmony

Today I am grateful for the harmony that shows up in life in many unique ways. It was the topic of my open mic reading the other night at our local brewery. Here are some of the ways I was noticing harmony and being inspired by it lately.

Melody and harmony, or lack thereof, are all around us. In nature, friendship, musical collaborations and work collaborations, in marriages and parenting. On a trip to the grocery store or gas station.

Making melodies and finding harmony are about noticing what is here, all around, and what is within too. There is harmony in the sweetness of flowers and the beautiful melody of bird song.

The harmony of a gentle breeze rustling leaves, or the unique melody of a brisk wind waving a flag.

There is harmony created when making a salad—peppers, onions, quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, lemon, parsley- a melody of colors and a melody of flavor for our taste buds.

That perfect combination of pizza toppings, cheese melted just right, a nice crispness to the crust.

A new outfit — the top and the bottom fitting so comfortably on our body shape, the fabric so inviting to our skin, that we look for more opportunities to wear it, exuding a personal confidence within and without. Harmony.

The aerodynamic and engineering harmony that happens when a plane takes off into the great blue yonder, and when it comes back down tens of thousands of feet to safely land, thanks to the harmonious efforts of air traffic controllers and flight crews.

One person’s melody and harmony may be another person’s noise . . . or what is noise one day is harmony another. We humans are a fickle lot. Let us be a forgiving and compassionate lot too.

And this planet? Our earthly home? It has a hum, called a seismic hum. Low-frequency vibrations, likely caused by ocean waves. We can’t hear it, but it unifies us as much as smiles, laughter, and tears can if we look for them instead of our differences. A planet in harmony.

The two images added here are from the fitness center I use several times a week. The walls and floors offer these harmonious and soothing patterns. Eyes, hearts, and ears can all tap into harmony. Souls can too.

We can’t retrieve harmony from the past. It’s gone. We can’t steal harmony from the future, it is unavailable. We can find harmony in the present. It is here and ready to be experienced.

Go experience harmony today. Share it. Spread it. Make more.