These words in a letter by John Muir entranced me.  Immediately, I saw in them as a poem.  I share this because it’s a beautiful teaching in the art of contemplation.  His exquisite attention to detail and the joy he describes in the encounter offer guidance.      

On the Long, Lonely Search for the Rare Calypso Lily

…when the sun was getting low
and everything seemed
bewildering
and discouraging, I found
beautiful Calypso
on the mossy bank
of a stream, growing
not in the ground
but on a bed of yellow mosses
in which its small white bulb
found a soft nest from which
its one leaf
and one flower
sprung.

The flower was white,
of the utmost
simple purity.

No other bloom was near it,
for the bog below
the surface was still
frozen, and the water
ice cold.

It seemed the most spiritual
of all the flower people
I had ever met.

I sat down beside it
and fairly cried
for joy.

K. Castelbaum, Found Poem.  Source: letter written by John Muir.

Read the full letter here:
https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/calypso_borealis_by_muir.aspx

Reflection:  When we hurry, attention is divided and cursory.  Consequently, we miss simple joy and revelations that remind us of what matters.  Try this: bring your full attention to details in people and things you overlook or take for granted, so you can truly see.  What do you notice?