Do you ever wonder why we call certain things beautiful? Not people, but natural things that we see on a daily basis?

The green grass, the trees, the bright blue sky.

Sunrises and sunsets that paint the sky, bodies of water either flat as a pancake or rough with waves.

A silent first snowfall of the winter, a much needed summer rainfall after weeks of drought.

Why do we call these things beautiful? Where are we getting this opinion from?

I've come to realize that we base our version of "beauty" off of comparison. Spring is beautiful because there are times where winter is dark and depressing. The world around us is beautiful because we know there will come a time when we will pass away and our worldly lives will be over. Life doesn't last forever, so it's incredibly important to appreciate what the world has given us while we can.

While it's easy to acknowledge these things as being beautiful when we speak about them, it's also easy to ignore them. We can either feel so much or feel nothing at all when we look at the gifts the world has to offer us. We can get so caught up in our daily lives that our appreciation for life's gifts takes a back seat to our stress.

But, it's actually the beauty of the world that can bring us out of our stressful, hectic micro-universes. Even on days where you think you need to be working or studying or doing homework in every moment, one of the best things to do is actually take a break: get outside and be reminded why this life is meaningful and beautiful and magical.

So, I encourage you to truly take in your surroundings every day and really think about why you appreciate them. Take the long way home because the walk is refreshing and the air moving through your lungs reminds you that you're alive. Wake up early to watch the sun rise and let your tired eyes make you feel unapologetically human. The world has so much beauty to offer us — don't let yourself forget about it.