Take time…to see

by Meredith Spicher – Features Editor

I took a night this week and sat on the bleachers of the soccer field and watched the sunset with some friends. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than the vivid Kansas sunset: its vibrant orange hue, complete with purple undertones and hints of red peeking in through the clouds. It sits on the horizon like a  beautiful painting off in the distance.

Sunflower for Horizon
Take time to see the sunflower field just south of Hesston on Ridge Road. Photo by Kendra Burkey

To me, it’s amazing to see a flock of birds flying all together, all perfectly in sync, not one being left behind. Like leaves in the wind, they follow the current: gliding up, then down, then slightly to the left and straight on. They form a blanket over the chopped corn fields and scavenge for leftovers. But then they’re off again, looking for another field to search over, or a telephone wire to rest on.

Think about these images, go over them slowly in your mind. Now imagine if you were never able to see them ever again. Never able to see the contrasting orange and purple in the sunsets, never able to see the gentle gliding of the sparrows, never again able to recognize your best friend waving at you from across the room. Imagine darkness. Nothing but darkness.

Many of us tend to take the gift of sight for granted. I, too, fall victim to this terrible ungratefulness. How can we turn that around? It’s simple. Just look and see the beauty. To be able to see means that you can feel an artist’s emotion just by looking at his/her painting, it means that you can see when a friend’s crying and in need of support, it means that you have a gift that should never be taken for granted.

So don’t. Don’t take it for granted, because it is a gift. I challenge you to be thankful that you are able to see the beauty around you, because beauty is out there, you just have to look for it.

Over the next few weeks, freshman Meredith Spicher will challenge the reader to notice five basic things that we all take for granted: our senses. What we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.  So get ready to be accused, challenged, and encouraged.

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