Beauty

I was very moved by a quote I saw the other day by the Czech novelist, Franz Kafka:

Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who has the ability to see beauty never grows old.

With that in mind, I intend to think in terms of beauty, and in my own Kafkaesque way, stay young. I am currently in the South Island of New Zealand with Caroline in search of the beautiful. We have hired a car and are driving around the South Island. Today we picked up the car from Christchurch Airport and drove across Arthur's Pass to the west of the Island, finishing in Greymouth. Here are some things I found beautiful...

Lush Greens of the Tussocklands

A carpet of purple lupins

Lake Coleridge

Lupin on the banks of the an unknown river near Lake Pearson

Glaciers in the background of the Waimakariri River

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I don't expect everyone to find all the things beautiful which I do. But even a small piece of beauty can gladden the heart, and roll off the years.