Many years ago, when I was in college, I had an experience that changed the way I look at the world.
Several friends and I were gathered in one of our dorm rooms. We had a night of movie watching and drinking ahead of us, and one of my friends was cooking some Cajun food for us. This friend, Dom, was from New Orleans, where his parents owned a restaurant. His cooking was always sublime, even though he had but a single electric burner and a microwave.
We were watching Blazing Saddles on VHS, which was a fairly common event. That poor tape got worn to nothing over the years.
These two events, Dom cooking and Blazing Saddles playing, had one significant thing in common. Both caused at least one of us to become completely enraptured.
My friend Eric could not take his eyes of the television. This was the first time he had seen the movie, and in his own words he was "ceaselessly amazed." Being the sarcastic jerk that I am, I would have given him a nice lashing for such silly behavior, but I was too busy with my own silly behavior.
While Eric was transfixed on the movie, I was totally mesmerized by Dom slicing garlic. Slicing garlic is such a mundane task, but for some reason I could not take my eyes off of Dom's hands and his knife. And I'm not talking about a few seconds here. This was a good ten minutes of me concentrating intently on that action.
I found Dom's slicing of garlic to be pure beauty. I sat there watching the smooth action of the hand, watching each tendon and muscle work; the sleek shine of the blade, seeing that edge bite into that tasty plant; the rhythm of the cut. All of this was poetry in motion to me.
Being the sarcastic jerks that my friends were, they did give me a lashing for my obscure behavior. Eric got his share too. But I did not care. I had found something profound. I had discovered the ability to observe grace and wonder in any environment.
At the time I did not realize what a wonderful gift this was. Boredom was now a thing of the past. No matter my surroundings, I was able to find the minute details that make that system a wonder to behold.
I had found true Beauty in my eye.