" The beauty in ordinary things can distract us during our worst times and provide us with hope." what were some worst times in chapter 2 that could be forgotten and simply replaced with the beauty in nature?

I would consider thr land and poetry are things heal the mind. In Chapter 2, John does the chores alone, not minding the work at all. His grandpa has taught him that jobs are measured by completion, not hours or days. John’s best friend, Emil Peterson, thinks John is crazy to love doing chores. John loves doing chores because they start a new day. The work makes him think of good things, like growing and being rich. At the same time, doing work out in the barn makes John feel at home and as if everything is right. John has come to love the farm, the woods, and the land through his grandpa, a World War II veteran who came to love the beauty of a quiet life after violent battles and after learning how the Japanese can see beauty in even the simplest things. It was his grandpa who taught John to compose poetry in his mind to celebrate that beauty and to find beauty in even dark and ugly things. Despite trying to focus on chores and beauty, John cannot help but think about death and his grandpa. He thinks about being sad after killing his first deer, a feeling that went away in time. The thought causes him to cry.