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Seasonal Beauty Beacons
Written By: William McReynolds - Highlands Plateau Audubon Society | Issue: Winter 2022 | Photograph By: Alex Osteen
Winter beauty surrounds us on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.
Beauty is an entirely human experience.
We alone among the living witness and create artful beauty.
Poignant beauty is about the muchness and suchness of the moment.
To see a World in a Grain of Sand.
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower.
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand.
And Eternity in an hour.
Blake’s words glory in poignant beauty. There is much year-round poignant beauty here in our wooded mountains.
Beauty’s constant companion is Awe. The first time I saw Winged Victory in The Louvre, I swooned. The flesh looked real beneath the ancient sculpted fabric. Time had removed her head and arms, but her wings remained, and I saw her courage…and beauty. Couldn’t leave the spot for a while.
That’s Awe.
Winter on our Plateau holds much poignant beauty, giving rise to highly recognizable Awe. We know it in ourselves and see it in others when we can’t take our eyes off a mountain vista or fresh snowfall. We hike in to see a waterfall or mountain peak and swoon.
Many of us have chosen to be here on the Plateau because the first time we came we saw great Beauty. As such, we are a self-selected Tribe of Beauty.
Forest vistas with snow on tree branches and snow drifts turning countryside and meadow into a soft, undulating purity of white.
A hazy, winter moon, 60 watts, shining through high-flying Cirrus clouds making a wispy, icy halo against a background of deep, full-moon blue.
The lingering holiday lights in downtown Highlands as new snow falls, reinstating our mountain winter wonderland.
Misty morning sunbeams spearing through tall still trees, crisp air and crystalline blue skies.
The gentle face of a startled doe: perfect stillness, ears up, statuesque, soft eyes looking for understanding.
The rosy cheeks and excited eyes of a beloved child swathed in winter wool and plaid.
The look of satisfaction on the cook’s face as the table rises to praise the meal.
Kind eyes peering up at you in gratitude as you lovingly minister bedside to her needs and return her many acts of kindness back to her.
Such is Winter Beauty. Beauty surrounds us and decorates our lives. We are part of the tableau.
Wishing you much Winter Beauty and many moments of quiet Awe.
