Finding Beauty in the Quotidian

Dear Diary,

I do love coming across a new word and yesterday "quotidian" entered my vocabulary.  It means "usual or customary; everyday, ordinary or commonplace".  Nothing commonplace in the word itself.  I can often guess at a words meaning, my three years of high school Latin helps, but this one had me stumped.

As a contemplative photographer I am most often drawn to the quotidian.  I often find meaning and metaphor in the objects of everyday life but sometimes it is just simple beauty, like a jay's feather outside my bathroom window gently resting on an ever decreasing snow pile.  A gift from Blue Boy.

Everyday there is this opportunity to marvel at the simple things that surround us.  A swelling bud, a foggy morning or the blue of a feather, they all have a beauty that takes just a moment to recognize.  Paying attention is the most sincere form of love I think.