Beauty. It's a combination of different qualities such as shape, color or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.

While I was traveling around the world last year, I didn't have my constant comforts right in front of me and because of that, I began to appreciate the beautiful things I was surrounded by.

Whether it was the simple wildflower I walked by or the beautiful sunset that unveiled before my eyes each night, I was immersed in so much beauty.

But even while I didn't have as many other things distracting me like I did home in America, I still had to choose to look at the beauty.

We always have a choice to make. When we wake up in the morning we have the choice of fixing our hair or not even brushing it. We have the choice of going to this coffee shop or the other one. We have the choice to spend countless hours wasting our time, to go through life without the recognition of things around us, to only coexist with the world we live in or to delight in the world around us.

To be in the presence of beauty is a choice. A choice that has to be intentionally made. Beauty won't always pop up in front of you. Many times we have to purposefully put ourselves in the midst of it.The world we live in is a beautiful place, let us not forget how intricately and intentionally it was created.

Some people think that beautiful places only exist on the other side of the world. But that’s definitely not the truth. Take it from someone who has been on the other side of the world, yes those places are beautiful but there are also so many beautiful places right in your backyard. The sunsets in Africa are breathtaking but so are the ones in my small town in Oklahoma.

Don’t miss it. Don’t spend your entire life wishing to go somewhere beautiful when it is all around you, every second of every single day. Take a hike through your neighboring woods, maybe a drive in your car at sunset, or even check out the view from your rocking chair on your front porch. But I’m begging you, please don’t miss it.

You don't have to be incredibly adventurous, artsy or a hipster to observe the amazing beauty around you.

You just have to be willing. Willing to open your eyes to the things that at some times seem unseen and hidden. Willing to be present. Willing to indulge in the beauty. Willing to appreciate what is set before you.

“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every day, and you can choose to be there for it—you can put yourself in the way of beauty.” -Cheryl Strayed (Wild)