Last night, just before 5 (well, at 4:53 p.m. to be exact), my wife was in Target picking up a few things for dinner and tomorrow’s lunches.

I sat in my car, waiting.

I could have been checking my Twitter feed, or trying to advance beyond level 80 of Candy Crush. All important things, of course.

Instead, I took the time to turn off the radio, put down the phone, and just observe what was around me.

I could not have been better rewarded. Just outside my window, the setting sun was painting a brilliant canvas across the sky, as ice crystals in the clouds were capturing the sun’s final moments on the horizon with uncompromising colors of red, purple, orange, and yellow.

It lasted for just a few moments, and I purposely stayed “unplugged” from my phone to first enjoy its beauty, a fire in Baltimore’s sky that was not only harmless to its citizens, it was uplifting and empowering in every way imaginable…

…If you took the time to look up and savor the show.

I snapped this shot before heading back to the store. Although it doesn’t replace the experience of seeing it in person, it serves as a constant reminder to me of the beauty that exists around us, all the time.

The holidays are approaching. Stores are opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day. Don’t let the retail rush distract you from looking up every now and then. There’s plenty of beauty abound, and its magnificence is greater than any tweet or App imaginable.