Gestures of Beauty
& how it can help shape our collective future
In the wake of heartbreaking news, I crawled into my storage unit to find my copy of Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown and found a book I forgot I still had - Divine Beauty by John O’Donohue. This book could not have found me at a more perfect time. In the midst of feeling deflated [and in a happy summer daze and sad and confused and all the feelings] reading his words on beauty feels like a soothing balm. Here are some thoughts on beauty in this moment in time + some words from the late, great John O’Donohue. Also, when I looked on the back of the book I saw the price tag was still on it. It read:
CHARLIE BYRNE
The Book Shop - Galway
€ 6.00
The moment I saw it, nostalgia filled my heart. This was a true example of beauty: thinking back on buying a book by one of my favorite (Irish) writers while in Ireland where my family is from. I was flooded with mental still shots of the stunning landscape there. It was a reminder that when (certain) humans let us down, there is still a wealth of beauty that surrounds us, whether near or far; that there is pain, yes, but there is also celebration in the form of rivers and rolling hills and people you find complete comfort in.
I thank this book for turning my attention back to beauty because that is just what we need right now to arm our hearts with the hope and imagination that will help shape our future. The question I had earlier was: is it frivolous to focus on beauty right now? No, I don’t think it is. Because beauty is an eternal force that has the power to shift us toward abundance and, therefore, action. So then, the question becomes: rather than becoming passive, can we allow beauty to drive us towards change? Can we see the fecundity of life as a motivating force for preserving the beauty here now and fighting for the possibility of deeper, collective beauty? Can we focus on beauty in a way that does not lead us to ignorance but to deeper engagement?
John O’Donohue refers to glamour as a flicker while beauty remains an everlasting glow. Her (my personal pronoun preference) eternal nature can provide solace during uncertain times. This is not an invitation to turn away from what’s at hand or what’s at stake. Actually, it’s the opposite. It is an urgency to engage more deeply with life and the broad expanse of the emotions, experiences, and possibilities that come with it. It is an invitation to see beauty not just in the ways we admire the natural world around us, but also how we call on creativity to process and move through the world. Can we dance, sing, draw, move, collage, play with clay, connect? How can we open ourselves up to the diverse forms that beauty presents herself as? Beauty reminds us that there is no finality but, instead, a perpetual unfolding. This is how she seduces us into paying attention - by going slowly, by revealing herself little by little, and by begging us to sink our senses into the process.
This is all to say that to admire beauty in this moment is not frivolous. Beauty is reparative and restorative for our systems during a time when carrying the conversation and momentum is necessary. When I feel tired and deflated, I have no choice but to surrender to beauty; to let my uncertain body slip into her ever-flowing waters; to remember that in her presence, by doing nothing I am doing everything. I am rehydrating a parched ground that will serve as a soft landing pad for those in need. I am refilling myself with imagination and hope.
We can lift each other up with beauty. Just this morning I looked over at the grapes taking over our stair railing. I noted how some are fat and plump and some look like tiny dots on a bronchial tree. This reminded me to breathe, which is sometimes exactly what we need. Other ideas for passing along beauty:
Invite a friend over to make dinner, tune into their body language, notice when they might need eye contact or a hand squeeze.
Offer the last bite, especially when the meal is exquisite.
Send someone a letter in the mail, for no reason at all except that you love them.
To me, these are just a few sweet and subtle gestures of support; reminders that we are holding each other and that we can keep going. We can persevere. No, beauty is not frivolous, because it is the invisible net that holds us together when something else is trying to break us. As John O’Donohue writes:
A life without delight is only half a life. Lest this be construed as a plea for decadence or a self-indulgence that is blind to the horrors of the world, we should remember that beauty does not restrict its visitations only to those whom fortune or circumstance favor. Indeed, it is often the whispers and glimpses of beauty which enable people to endure on desperate frontiers. Even, and perhaps especially, in the bleakest times, we can still discover and awaken beauty; these are precisely the times when we need it most […] The joyful heart sees and reads the world with a sense of freedom and graciousness. Despite all the difficult turns on the road, it never loses sight of the world as a gift.
If we can practice the art of seeing life as a gift of freedom and choice, perhaps we will feel like we have no choice but to fight for others to know that gift.
In light and celebration of weaving pleasure through our efforts and activism, we will be reading Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown for Sex Ed Book Club. Feel free to order your copy now and start reading. I’ll be back soon with a meeting date so we can get together and discuss the juicy contents of this volume. I also highly recommend listening to this interview with amb (it feels like a hug). And if you can, dip your body in some cold water until you feel revived and ready.
Sending love,
Sarah