(Photo Credit: Red Bubble)
Too often we overlook the beauty and value of phenomena present in everyday life. If we would look around us each day, there are things to adore and treasure. Let’s never forget to be thankful for the beauty of the natural world. We can honor the beauty of the natural world by doing things necessary to maintain and protect it. Being an environmentalist doesn’t have to be an overtly political act. While we can have honest disagreements about how to take care of our environment, there shouldn’t be anyone who is disinterested in doing things essential to preserve it.
When you’re blessed to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, take a moment to reflect on how appreciative you should be. Never take anything for granted. When we take for granted the beauty and significance of quotidian things, we’re not able to experience an authentic appreciation of those things that aren’t mundane.
K – 12 educators should work to instill in students an appreciation for the value and beauty of the quotidian. We could begin to see a greater value for natural resources and a culture of life when we start teaching people about the importance of things that are commonplace. Many of the things that we perceive as average are really far beyond average when we devote enough time to analyzing those things thoroughly.
Some people who live in large cities try to look down on those who reside in the country. While there are numerous things to value about everyday life the city, there are some naturally beautiful phenomena in the country one cannot find in the city. Those who live in the country shouldn’t feel any lesser than those who live in the city.
The Red Wheelbarrow, a poem penned by William Carlos Williams, affords us an opportunity to see the value of appreciating the quotidian when we engage in a critical analysis of this poem. On the surface, this poem appears to be boring and simply about a red wheelbarrow. When we look more closely at the poem, we are able to appreciate the labor of the workers who have constructed this red wheelbarrow, and we can also appreciate the beauty of nature.
What are some common things present in your daily life that you value and find beautiful?
Antonio Maurice Daniels
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Revolutionary Paideia 
If we just stopped and looked at our environment we could find thousands of things to be appreciative of. The problem is we are too busy rushing that we don’t take the time out to appreciate the little things, even though the little things can have the biggest impact.
Absolutely. People can live happier lives when they begin to appreciate the small things in their lives, many of which they don’t have to have much money to enjoy.
To grow over nine months from two cells into a billion-cell organism with well-differentiated cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, immune and other systems , and to be born with all sense organs and all four limbs in working condition, is itself a miracle. Then, to have shelter, food and work to do, is a bonus.
Absolutely. When people need something to be thankful for, they can simply reflect on how appreciative they should be of their own bodies and how sophisticated their own bodies are. We have to get back to an appreciation of the basic things in life.