Culture Vulture: Now We Walk In Beauty

Friday, December 2, 2011

Now We Walk In Beauty

Wednesday night I was feeling very down about the world... for evident reasons. I was going through that "why do these sort of things have to happen to good people?" phase. This is the second death of someone in November whom I've known and was a much better person than I am (the other was a classmate of mine, the nicest girl I ever knew, who died far too young) and it just seems incredibly unfair.

So I was in a low mood and had to go to band practice for a rehearsal. Playing made me feel better, as it always does, but when I came out of the music hall, it was snowing - giant white fat flakes falling on the ground, glimmering in the city lights. Suddenly, I felt less broken-hearted and more at peace.

I took a longer route home, walking across the Washington Avenue Bridge instead of the 10th Avenue to enjoy the snow. I walked down University, passing a Baptist church. For some reason I glanced at the event sign that's out front, which read "Now We Walk In Beauty." I don't believe in coincidences - all the nights I could have gone a different way, could have not looked up, could have ignored the sign. Those words couldn't have been more fitting and more inspiring. So on I walked in beauty, realizing why I believe in something more than myself. Because every time I feel alone, discouraged, grief-stricken, something like this happens. It snows, and I can see the beauty in the world again.