Finding the Hidden Beauty

I made a purchase at a yard sale today. My boss was hanging out with me and he thought I was crazy at the time but he was a good sport and helped me carry all my newly acquired possessions back to the van. Five small trinkets for my collection that only cost me two dollars. They were dirty and tarnished. two of them have even been used for ashtrays I think. They looked like common ordinary junk typical of most backwoods yard sales but I saw more... And tonight, sitting on my shelf, are five Silver table ware pieces: 3 small pitchers and two things that look like some kind of urn or maybe sugar bowls. All are from numbered collections and worth much more than the two dollars I paid for them. Probably 30 people had went through that sale today and looked for some small treasure... Today I happened to be the lucky one who saw thru a bit of dirt and tarnish and saw something of value and beauty.
It makes you stop and think, what treasures do we pass up every day of our lives just because they are hidden by a thin veil of imperfection? Perhaps the people who seem so different from us could be our best friend had we taken the time to know them. Perhaps the minor differences don't matter at all.You can spend lifetimes looking for perfection and never find it, or you can get out your silver polish and find that hidden beauty... Think about it.