(from my book, Listen to Life:  Wisdom in Life’s Stories)

Calling Out Beauty 

“Ojo.  Ojo.”  That is simply all she said, but what she meant was significant and a lesson for us all.

I’ve overhead several Hispanic women over the years whisper “Ojo, ojo” as they touched something they deemed beautiful, which has included each of my three sons when they were infants.  Someone explained the cultural tradition of calling out beauty and protecting it from the “evil eye” in that way.  This process was important to keep the eye from seeing the beauty and robbing it from the holder, as it was explained to me.  “Ojo,” means “eye” in Spanish.

We all benefit if we call out beauty to others.  And by doing so, we not only make ourselves open to the myriads of creation’s beauty, we also protect it from the “evils” that destroy it.  The more aware that others are to the beauty of rivers, swamps, babies, women of all shapes and sizes, birds, buildings, et cetera, the greater chance that others will feel compelled to accept and protect them as beautiful.  Think of the implications as varied as environmentalism and partner abuse—we tend to not destroy what we deem as truly beautiful.

Calling out beauty also brings more of it to our attention.  Consider how a child responds to your praise and recognition of her artwork, particularly when you post it somewhere like a wall or refrigerator door.  Before long, she is showing you more and more of her work.  Once we call out the beauty of creation, it responds by showing us more and more, as well.

Look at the people, scenes and world around you.  They are beautiful.  Protect them.  “Ojo…..ojo.”