Beauty of Bailey's

A few weeks ago I stumbled across the Bailey's Facebook page, on which they were offering free samples of their new 'biscotti' flavour. I'm a big Bailey's fan, so I ordered mine and then promptly forgot all about it.  Recently my little sample arrived in the post, and it made for a beautiful morning - and a beautiful blog post!

It came with a little postcard  saying "With love from Italy".  I loved the picture, and just sat staring at it for a few minutes...one of the places I've always wanted to go is the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and this reminded me of it.

Blue skies, warm sunshine, turquoise waters, ancient crumbly buildings, green grass, and everything covered over with a sort of amber haze, like the entire country is steeped in romance and history and sepia-coloured photographs, even today.  I haven't been to Amalfi, but I've been to Rome, and it's one of my most favourite cities in the whole world.  The richness, the 'flavour' of the whole city just capture your heart and your senses all at once.  The colours of the Bailey's bottle and the drink itself just goes so well with it all - a creamy, vanilla-brown, smooth and thick and sweet. 

Bailey's is an amazing drink because it's so versatile. You can have it on its own (poured over ice in a pretty crystal glass); added to coffee (I don't usually like anything in my coffee, but Bailey's makes everything beautiful); poured into cheesecake or another kind of dessert - even chocolate chip cookie dough! Try it!  I went with the simple beauty of just pouring it out - and I've made my one little tiny sample bottle last for a week or more that way.

I'm realising, again - still? - that beauty truly is everywhere.  You can find beauty in a sample that arrives at your door - a small bottle - a warm drink - a photograph - anything.  It hides in secret places sometimes, and others it's right before your eyes, you just need to look.  If you would see beauty all around you, you must...

Stop.  Stop what you're doing and even what you're thinking. If necessary, physically stop and just stand there for a moment.

Set Aside. Now put down (physically or mentally) everything you're carrying around. If your hands are full, put things on a counter or desk. If your head is full, tell yourself you will set all that down and you will pick it up later. (It will come back, never fear.)  We don't want to set down because we fear we will forget something hugely important - but if your mind is at rest you will remember more, not less.

Focus.  On the beauty, on the world around you for the beauty in it.  It may be a person (your small daughter dancing, your sister trying on a dress; an object (a flower, a bee, a bowl of strawberries); a place (a beach, rock formations, a creek).  Whatever it is, now that you've stopped and set aside, turn all your mental energy to this beauty before you. And...

Investigate. Go deeper. Often the greatest beauty is in the detail. Flower petals. Stitching on a dress. Your daughter's tiara, or brown eyes, or the colour of her hair.  Pebbles sparkling on the beach. This is what children do - they go deeper. And they call us to beauty. "Look! Look!"

Stop and look today.