Your Valuable Treasures

Although precious metals like gold retain their value, and the lira may earn top dollar at an auction, those currencies won’t buy beverages from a soda machine. Soda machines are designed to accept quarters, not gold or lira. Many times, we calculate an item’s value based on the box we create for it. Over time, as our needs and perspectives change, our ideas of what’s valuable change also.   

Maybe you’ve noticed how drivers slow down, swerve around, or completely stop traffic to let a goose cross the road. On the other hand, if a squirrel tries crossing the road, it’s a risky and potentially fatal adventure. Somehow, geese grew in value. Maybe this collection’s value will rise, too:

                                         https://youtu.be/bO2SjCtmB_Q

That’s brave. My only comment is this modified, popular saying: one person’s horror is another person’s treasure. While we wonder if these treasures will ever warrant any monetary value, they certainly bring joy to their owner. What things, regardless of your age or life stage, will always be valuable to you?   

Beauty During the Storm

I don’t like the beach. Maybe I’m overdramatizing my dislike for the annoying sand that invades every nook and cranny. After a trip to the shore, you’ll find sand in your car, tucked into the fibers of your swim suit, and lurking in the bottom of your beach bag. It takes forever to clean up.

But during a recent vacation, I spent a surprisingly pleasant day at Daytona Beach. When a storm blew in, I marveled at how the angry, slate-colored sky met the placid, green water at the horizon. When the downpour drenched our swimsuits, we scurried to safety beneath a bridge until the storm passed, and within minutes, we were back in the ocean.

The water was my silver lining. Normally, the ocean offers an unending series of waves, and with the approaching storm, I expected rough surfs. On this particular afternoon, the water was calm and clear enough to see the little fish that occasionally leaped into the air. If you look closely, you’ll spot the silver lining in most situations, like this one:  

                                     https://youtu.be/kwMXEPGFc14

Although the news bombards us with videos and updates on the latest horrors from here and abroad, even Anne Frank learned not to think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remained. If she could focus on beauty, we can, too. In these turbulent times, what’s your silver lining?