The Beauty of a Moment

I took the train home from London this evening. Public transport in the city is not something I enjoy, so I approached the train with a customary weary resignation - if I was lucky, I'd find a seat in the post-work crush - and looked forward to leaving the urban grime behind. To my surprise, the train was relatively empty so I nabbed myself a coveted 4-seater, put my bag on the seat next to me and my refreshments on the large table in front of me; I made myself comfortable. As the train pulled out of the station, I looked out at the towerblocks that I always find so ugly, only to be blinded by the setting sun.

The whole effect was glorious - I had a seat, a snack, and the sunset in my eyes. Through such simplicity of circumstance, my default frown had within moments been altered to a contented smile.

I often experience the most profound beauty in totally arbitrary moments like this one. The wonder of this beauty is that it finds you. These moments are so delightful precisely because they can't be orchestrated. You can only allow yourself to become more susceptible to these random instances that flutter past by simply opening your eyes; I've so often experienced the revelation of putting down my phone, laptop or work and suddenly seeing the world before me, and witnessing the magical happenstances that occur when we're not looking. It could be a sight, a smell, a sound – or best of all, an intoxicating marriage of all three – that can pass us by in a fleeting moment yet leave an indelible, mood-transforming impression.

On the whole, I find the greatest pleasure in simplicity. I'm no Zen master and probably guiltier than most of letting minor irritations get the better of me, but I do know the beauty of how trivial matters can be put into perspective by the purity of a moment. While we struggle behind the wheels of our lives to engineer situations and outcomes, the Universe is at play, simply and beautifully, all around us. The most natural results can be the most stunning, and every time nature reminds me of this I'm inspired to apply the lesson to my own life. And so it goes on, again and again :)