My Wife's Videos Can Remind that Beauty Exist in the Everyday, Even in Your Backyard

My wife recently started an Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/info.catsinmalta/. Appreciate it if you could follow and like the videos!) In a locale more known for picture-perfect shots of historical stone buildings against the azure Mediterranean waters, she is trying to show another side of the country, just as beautiful. Through shots of stray cats lounging on the smallhold farms, elderly fishermen casting nets from wooden boats, and the small backstreets with rundown restaurants, she reminds us that a truly attractive place is attractive in the everyday, not just hotspots.

Moreover, recording those moments is not about bragging that we are fortunate to live amidst the beauty. It is instead a reminder that Malta's beauty is not particularly unique. Not every country has 300 days of sunshine and an endless coastline, but daily life can be relaxing anywhere if taken with the right attitude. In our rush to get to our intended destinations, whether it be home, work, school, or those picture-perfect tourist draws, we are forgetting to check out the flowers in the cracks, the smiles of our neighbors, and indeed, the greetings of our neighborhood stray cats.

Yes, the videos are what we consider beautiful in everyday life in Malta. But the message is not that you need to come to Malta to find and see them. Instead, just slow down and find similarly beautiful moments in your own neighborhood. And who knows, perhaps in a nondescript street of a nondescript town, those everyday shots, taken at the right moments and angles, are worthy of sharing on Instagram with a global audience. Those shots, communicating daily tidbits, just need to be genuine, not filtered or edited with the help of technology.

The difficulty is not the lack of everyday beauty, but the inability to slow down. The fact that people check out the endless reels of seaside vacations is that, deep down, they are jealous of how they can afford the costs, both financial and chronological, of simply lying there and letting time pass by. The average Joe and Jane are too convinced that they are living precariously. At work, going above and beyond is a prerequisite for promotions or not getting fired. Outside work, learning new skills, business networking, or raising kids are shortcuts to garnering professional and personal respect.

As much as we assume that it is up to the individual to decide to forego some or all of those, many simply do not have the luxury of choice. Having kids may sound like a personal choice, but may just as well be the result of pressure from parents, spouse, and cultural traditions. Attaining ever-higher social status and professional success sounds less ludicrous if one is ingrained to question one's self-worth if every possible opportunity is not pursued to the maximum extent. Scarily, it might no longer be about "do I have enough money to live," more like "do I deserve to keep living?"

We understand these social constraints and that often, individuals, no matter how outspoken, individualistic, and willing to go against sociocultural norms, have no full agency to overcome them. Their hold on mental health, self-confidence, and psyche is just too great, making it easier to consider a temporary escape, in the form of Instagram videos of faraway lands, fantasizing and projecting oneself in others' footsteps, than going through the all-or-nothing battle with real-life constraints. But we also remind you that you can start small.

Every one of my wife's videos captures a moment, lasting no more than a minute, happening on a casual walk. Those moments are not crafted with a preset purpose in mind, nor are they staged with prior consultation of their subjects. They are simply noticed on the way to something else: a run to the supermarket to restock the fridge, an afternoon walk to contemplate the meaning of sometimes-lonesome life of a digital nomad, or the boredom of monotony. Everyone has these moments. Many just choose to look away rather than to face them and record them down.

Maybe her videos will finally encourage you to pick up your phone and capture those moments. And you do, you will have escaped for a few minutes, in real life, from social and professional obligations to which you thought you were permanently shackled. It is not a full-on rebellion, far from it. But it is one small step to regain a sense of individual agency, to regain a bit more confidence that not everything in life is uncontrollable and up to greater forces of the economy, culture, and traditions. Isn't that better than just scrolling through endless videos?