Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.

Nature’s beauty can be easily missed -- but not through Louie Schwartzberg’s lens. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day. (Filmed at TEDxSF.)

When I graduated UCLA,
I moved to Northern California,

and I lived in a little town called Elk,
on the Mendocino coast.

And I didn't have a phone or TV,
but I had US mail.

And life was good back then --
if you could remember it.

I'd go to the general store
for a cup of coffee and a brownie,

I'd ship my film to San Francisco,

and lo and behold, two days later,

it would end up on my front door,

which was way better than having
to fight the traffic of Hollywood.

I didn't have much money,

(Music)

but I had time and a sense of wonder.

So I started shooting
time-lapse photography.

It would take me a month to shoot
a four-minute roll of film,

because that's all I could afford.

I've been shooting time-lapse
flowers continuously, nonstop,

24 hours a day, seven days a week,

for over 30 years.

And to see them move
is a dance I'll never get tired of.

Their beauty immerses us
with color, taste, touch.

It also provides a third
of the food we eat.

(Music)

Beauty and seduction
are nature's tools for survival,

because we protect
what we fall in love with.

It opens our hearts

and makes us realize
we are a part of nature,

and we're not separate from it.

When we see ourselves in nature,

it also connects us to every one of us,

because it's clear
that it's all connected in one.

When people see my images,
a lot of times they'll say,

"Oh my God."

Have you ever wondered what that meant?

The "oh" means it caught your attention;

it makes you present, makes you mindful.

The "my" means it connects
with something deep inside your soul.

It creates a gateway for your inner voice
to rise up and be heard.

And "God"?

God is that personal journey
we all want to be on,

to be inspired,

to feel like we're connected
to a universe that celebrates life.

Did you know that 80 percent
of the information we receive

comes through our eyes,

and if you compare light energy
to musical scales,

it would only be one octave
that the naked eye could see,

which is right in the middle?

And aren't we grateful for our brains,

that can take this electrical impulse
that comes from light energy

to create images in order
for us to explore our world?

And aren't we grateful that we have hearts
that can feel these vibrations

in order for us to allow ourselves

to feel the pleasure
and the beauty of nature?

Nature's beauty is a gift

that cultivates
appreciation and gratitude.

So, I have a gift I want
to share with you today,

a project I'm working on
called "Happiness Revealed."

And it'll give us a glimpse
into that perspective --

from the point of view
of a child and an elderly man --

of that world.

Little girl: When I watch TV,

it's just some shows
that you just -- that are pretend.

And when you explore,

you get more imagination
than you already had,

and when you get more imagination,

it makes you want to go deeper in

so you can get more
and see beautifuller things,

like the path,

if it's a path, it could lead you
to a beach or something,

and it could be beautiful.

(Music)

(Narrator) Brother David Steindl-Rast:
Do you think this is just another day

in your life?

It's not just another day.

It's the one day that is given to you:

today.

(Music)

It's given to you.

It's a gift.

It's the only gift
that you have right now.

And the only appropriate response

is gratefulness.

(Music)

If you do nothing else
but to cultivate that response

to the great gift that this unique day is,

if you learn to respond
as if it were the first day in your life

and the very last day,

then you will have spent
this day very well.

(Music)

Begin by opening your eyes

and be surprised
that you have eyes you can open,

that incredible array of colors
that is constantly offered to us

for our pure enjoyment.

Look at the sky.

We so rarely look at the sky.

We so rarely note how different it is
from moment to moment,

with clouds coming and going.

We just think of the weather,

and even with the weather,

we don't think of all
the many nuances of weather.

We just think of "good weather"
and "bad weather."

This day, right now, has unique weather,

maybe a kind that will never exactly,
in that form, come again.

The formation of clouds
in the sky will never be the same

as it is right now.

Open your eyes. Look at that.

(Music)

Look at the faces of people whom you meet.

Each one has an incredible story

behind their face,

a story that you could never fully fathom,

not only their own story,
but the story of their ancestors.

We all go back so far,

and in this present moment, on this day,

all the people you meet,
all that life from generations

and from so many places all over the world

flows together and meets you here,

like a life-giving water,

if you only open your heart and drink.

(Music)

Open your heart to the incredible gifts

that civilization gives to us.

You flip a switch,
and there is electric light.

You turn a faucet, and there
is warm water and cold water,

and drinkable water.

It's a gift that millions
and millions in the world

will never experience.

So these are just a few
of an enormous number of gifts

to which we can open your heart.

And so I wish you
that you will open your heart

to all these blessings,

and let them flow through you,

that everyone whom you
will meet on this day

will be blessed by you,

just by your eyes,

by your smile,

by your touch,

just by your presence.

Let the gratefulness overflow

into blessing all around you.

(Music)

And then, it will really be

a good day.

(Applause)

Louie Schwartzberg: Thank you.

(Applause)

Thank you very much.

(Applause)