Seconds of beauty

I came across this link yesterday to the Seconds of Beauty project. It is a short film competition paying homage to the chronograph, run by Montblanc. Competitors are asked to upload a one second video that captures beauty. The seconds are then compiled into play lists. The results are remarkable and breathtaking in their simplicity and their elegance.

I watched this video dozens of times yesterday, because in one minute it captured what I have been feeling. I am trying not to be too morbid, but ever since the diagnosis, I am acutely aware that life can end far too soon. I have been trying to take in every moment, to revel in the simple things that create our life, and celebrate beauty everyday. I have this intense feeling that I need to enjoy every moment, because I don't know if I will have another one like it. I know I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I am.

And it is amazing what can happen in a second. I find myself staring at things that I would never normally worry about and marvelling at them. A butterfly landing on a leaf, the rustle of trees blowing in the wind. The tight curl of a frangipani flower just about to bloom. The sunlight hitting the trees in the late afternoon creating a glow, or the light striking our pool creating a dappled, shimmering effect. And then there is the children, that slight dimple that forms in Angus's cheek when he is smiling, the giggle that they share, Charlotte's turn of phrase (that's right! she will say), the look on her face as she pours glitter everywhere.

Of course there are always the big milestones that we remember and that I wish I had captured on film. I wish we had a picture of the moment their embryo's were created. I have the image of when Angus was born, Charlotte's first steps, Angus's first word (which is coming any day now I can feel it!). I remember acutely staring at Charlotte's eyelashes when she was just a few weeks old in the dead of night. But for the moment I am trying to capture those little moments that make up our day and are so important to our existence.

What is your second of beauty?

Seconds Of Beauty - 1st round compilation from The Beauty Of A Second on Vimeo.