the moon is bright today

I love when characters pause to appreciate nature.

It's magical when the writer creates a moment of stillness in this way. It might be a cliché, at least in kdramas, but I adore it.

I know some salient examples.

In this animated short, Hee-sun is having a tough time. She's in her 30's, and after an evening on Instagram, she feels her life is poor and shabby, at least compared to her high school friends who have designer bags. But she visits a friends. The friend leads a modest but joyous life, and helps Hee-sun see her own life differently. Hee-sun decides to take an evening walk home, and when she does, she notices how bright the moon is.

In the kdrama Navillera, Eun-ho is fired from her internship, unfairly. She then becomes jobless and lost, looking for what her dream really is. Eun-ho faces a lot of pressure from her parents, and also her friends, who are all getting jobs at big companies. Eun-ho doesn't find a job quickly, but she does learn to be happy and seek joy. After a chat with a wise older lady friend, she leaves a building, looks up at the sky, and notices how blue it is.

In the movie Soul, in his moment of epiphany, Joe sees the magic in a falling leaf:

I can get a bit emotional when appreciating nature, and these examples share a bit of my emotion.

I might be walking home from work. I might see how green a tree is, or how sunny the day is, or how sparkly the river is. Or feel how refreshing the breeze is. Or hear the sound of the rain.

And I'll see the moment for what it is: magic. I'll feel a mix of bliss and awe and hope and positive regard.

Sometimes I'm stressed or caught up in my thoughts and I can't see it this way,

But when I do see the magic...

It's the loveliest thing in the world.