Does beauty matter?

Another stunning sunset from the Terrace Gardens

short answer: absolutely.

“Wonder is the engine that drives curiosity and propels intellect.” from Sally Clarkson’s Awaking Wonder

Sometimes we get trapped in overly practical habits. There was a time when I didn’t give a hoot if the table was set with matching dishes or flatware. My bedding certainly didn’t require coordination with even itself, let alone the rest of the bedroom. And there was no way I’d use precious garden space for anything but the most productive vegetables and fruits.

So along comes my first son asking, “Why don’t we grow flowers in our garden?” I explained to him about only growing things we can eat. So, of course, we start growing edible flowers. Same son then has an opportunity to raise butterflies, and voila, we have a “butterfly garden” in the middle of our vegetable patch. Masses of colors reached up 2 ft. taller than my son, purple and white sticks of fuzzy flowers hummed with all sorts of bugs, and I flinched many times when the hummingbirds darted in and out of the wild red and yellow columbine. Rather than rant on about practicality (“attracting pollinators…blah bah blah”) I stood back as this unruly flower garden overflowed into the entire space. I witnessed something not in place of practicality, but perhaps something above and beyond it.

I dare you to surrender yourself to beauty, particularly to grand natural beauty. Do you remember the first time you were in awe of a clear, starry night? You might have seen a shooting star. Have you walked an alpine trail when the wild flowers are blossoming? Perhaps the backdrop was a snow-capped volcano. Did you tremble when you first heard and felt the roar of ocean waves crashing on the beach? If you stop to behold the world’s beauty you might find yourself in a moment of wonder.

At Westwood Color we live for these moments. We celebrate what Sally Clarkson calls a “wonder-filled life” and not just for a child observing a butterfly’s first days in the fresh air of a flower-garden. For all of us, everyday.

Welcome!