Many times during my journey, I’ve been told to pay attention. From wherever my mind was at the moment, I was jerked back into the current reality.

During my collegiate undergraduate years, I had a summer job working at a neighbor’s farm. The fellow was a very good man, and his entire family treated me as one of the family. Most of my work was field work so I spent many hours under the sun, and had the tan to prove it.

One day I was cultivating corn. The farmer always came to get me for the noon meal, and on this specific day, it was very hot and humid. After more than four hours of driving straight through the corn rows, I got weary and veered off course.

In case you don’t know it, while cultivating corn, one steered straight so you wouldn’t rip out any corn plants. My weariness happened just as the farmer arrive to take me to noon meal. My eyes closed, and I veered off the straight and narrow. The result was a lot of corn plants uprooted and wasted.

I stopped the tractor, shut it off, and he came walking into the area of disaster. Looking at the corn plants that no longer held the promise of growing corn, he sadly looked at me and simply stated I should pay attention.

As mentioned, he was a good man. I had destroyed many bushels of potential corn and the beauty of that section of the field. That image still burns my memory to this day.

There is a well known adage that tells us how beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is very subjective — what is beautiful to you, might not be to me, and vice versa. Yet, we all must pay attention to see it.

During a recent family birthday celebration, I poured us a bit of Meiers 44 Ruby Port. This is an American made port, and we all raised our glasses to celebrate the beauty of the liquid and the beauty of the birthday. In case you haven’t tasted this ruby port, it is very tasty. It’s produced from a blend of Concord grapes, and then, aged. The result is a flavor filled wine with pleasing tastes of chocolate, cherries and a hint of some currants. A beautiful sip.

You know, the beauty of many wines is not only found in the taste of them. One can also see the beauty in wines and smell the beauty of the wine.

While checking out at a local store, there was a little child in front of me. She was playing with a ball her parent was purchasing for her, and the ball came bouncing to me. Before we knew it, the little one and I were bouncing the ball back and forth, and laughing like crazy. The parent laughed as we played mini catch, and it was a beautiful moment.

However, I had to pay attention. If I had missed the ball, the little one’s laugh would have stopped everything because everyone would have started laughing so hard. A precious moment..

Always pay attention! Don’t miss the beauty of a night’s moon. See the stars and be amazed. Read a good book and enjoy it’s alluring writing and story. Really look into someone’s eyes — see the beauty.

And finally, and going forth with seeing beauty, try a glass of Monastrell — a Spanish wine. It’s similar to a cabernet sauvignon because both of them are full bodied red wines with lots of fruit flavors. However, the Monastrell has an interesting hint of anise.

So, you see, finding something interesting can lead to beauty, too.

Well, what is beauty? It is whatever you deem it to be. Whatever, wherever or however you see or find your beauty, pay attention to it.

Beauty can be very fleeting.

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!