Thinking and Pondering #2

Blog Hop:
Thinking On Thursday - Pondering With A Purpose

This week's Prompt: BEAUTY

In pondering this prompt of "Beauty" I immediately thought of Saint Augustine of Hippo's quote in The City of God, as translated by Marcus Dods:

"Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked."

The City of God






I'll not pretend to fully understand what it was St. Augustine meant by this statement; however, I shall tell you a bit about what it means to me; and, you can study it further to formulate your own thoughts on the quote.

I believe our Saint is referencing the beauty of all things created, by the Divine, as well as earthly creations, and our perceptions of these creations. Thus, the wicked would look upon beauty just as the goodly souls might -- the difference being the result of beholding beauty -- the good would treat a thing of beauty with love and respect, whereas the evil ones would not see its intrinsic beauty.

When our perceptions of beauty are motivated by external aesthetics as opposed to the whole of the thing of beauty, we may actually turn it into a thing of ugliness, a thing of wickedness or unpleasantness.

Beauty is subjective, as is Ugliness. This can be viewed by all in the story:

The Ugly Duckling
by Hans Christian Andersen.

Thinking and Pondering #1

Blog Hop: Thinking on Thursday - Pondering With A Purpose

I am really looking forward to this new blog hop hosted by Brenda of Fiction With A Purpose. If you're a writer and/or a blog hopper, you'll want to check this one out and hop right along. Each week, Brenda gives us a writing prompt and we post our submission on our blogs, then, of course, add our post URL to the linky list on her prompt post.

This week's prompt: Word Association: from the list provided, select 3 of them and tell me what they mean to you.

My 3 words: riding, embedding, landscape. I chose to write a piece of flash fiction. In actuality, it's more like factual reality, as I do visualize this on occasion!

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Healing Heels
©Ruth Cox

Yearning for the oceanic landscape, I fantasize horseback riding the foot of the foam of the sea. I imagine the strength of animal and wave allowing me to escape reality.

With a subtle kick of my heels, my imaginary horse clicks his in tandem, and off we soar along the seashore. We're one with the ocean's roar, spirits in fine fettle -- blessed by the warming rays of a bit o' sunshine.

The salty balm of the breeze of the beach soothes my soul, embedding the fantastical scene in my mind's eye. Forevermore.
 
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Hmmm... wondering if I should purchase myself a pair of these phantastical Horse Heels to go with my fantasy...
 

Yay or Nay?

Share the Love Day

Happy Love Day to all my blogger friends! I'll be headed out in a bit to spend some time with my Aunt Martha Bell at the nursing home ... just sharin' a bit o' Love!

Here's my creative offering for the day:
Share the Love on Valentine's Day