The wonder of a caterpillar dissolving almost into no thing at all any more to become a butterfly or a dragonfly, all in interaction with the essentially needed light, the plants, the water, the trees, with all of nature, being in all of its beauty to the joy and inspiration of all, embedded in stillness, to re-enter the cycle of life while before making sure their species survive.
The power of water that no one can control. It can be beautiful and majestic as the enormous waves for surfers. And it be deadly as in flash floods and
What is awe-inspiring is the power in storms: lightning, tornadoes, as well as rainbows after a storm.
And I am thinking of the sobering power of the wildfires we have had this summer in Canada and now in Hawaii.
I am amazed at how quickly we can find each other through GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi hotspots, etc. Everyday commonplace mobile technology is awe-inspiring… and kind of disturbing!
When I’m able to bring curiosity to life, everything seems to inspire awe.
Even the most ordinary things aren’t ordinary at all. A piece of paper, a fork, a salad. They all have such complicated stories. Trees that have lived for years, which were created by other trees(!), the history of what it takes to craft a piece a paper, the industrial plant where it happens, the draftsman that designed the factory, the workers that travel to work in the plant every day, the truck drivers that deliver the paper, their families, their hobbies. It’s amazing what stories go into everything we interact with every day. When I’m able to consider these stories when interacting with the things in my life it really gives me pause and feels almost impossible. What a crazy place we live in.
I don’t know that a massive oak tree is an ordinary thing but Massive Oaks line parts of Williams Avenue in Natchitoches, Louisiana where I use to live. Driving there is like passing through a live tunnel. They are awesome and awe is such a wonderful word. Whenever I passed there, it felt like they spoke to me: “Forsake fear and choose awe!
Where you are going
and the place you stay
come to the same thing.
What you long for
and what you’ve left behind
are as useless as your name.
Just one time, walk out
into the field and look
at that towering oak —
an acorn still beating at its heart.
Peter Levitt ~
(100 Butterflies)
A quiet sunrise lighting the sky.
Moonglow streaming through my window–that’s the sun’s light being bounced across millions of miles to the moon, and from the moon to the Earth.
Starlight from even more millions and billions and trillions of miles away.
And then plants:
The magic of seeds.
The abundance of my garden, exploding from tiny seedlings to pounds and pounds of food.
Trees.
Several folks mentioned seeds. That does bring awe to me.
A kind person gave me a small rose plant from the local grocery store. I planted it. It is much lager now and has graced me with 10 lovely yellow tea roses.awe for sure!
The thousands of vehicles moving in parallel down a busy interstate highway; sometimes painfully ordinary in my area, but sometimes, with the right vantage, awe awakening as well.
For me it usually has something to do with animals…my cats doing something out of the ordinary….or just being themselves. My dog running..how thrilled I am to see him run and be happy and free. The deer and turkey’s that visit our meadow. The rabbits – who are not bothered at all by us!!! Plus they are eating my tomatoes!! I cannot get one off the vine that is not half eaten…We have fence and the tomatoes have a “cage”…but the rabbits find a way. The rain pouring down and the sky after a quick storm…all fill me with awe.
Then again…there is the ocean that I miss so….the waves pounding the shore…and then a walk in the woods. We are so Blessed. A good day to one and all.
We have “yard bunnies” in our neighborhood and it’s always a moment of magic when I’m walking through the yard and suddenly realize there’s a wild animal right there, eating the clover. We make long eye contact and the bunny seems to recognize I’m not going to hurt it.
Flowering plants are a particular
fascination. Meeting people who have
been doing something for a long time,
fills me with questions. My cats, and their
amazing physical abilities at jumping and
climbing. When getting out of my car,
when I get home late at night and being
struck by the night sky. I’ll often stop for
a minute and just take it in, before going
inside.
Watching my tomato plants grow. Tiny green balls appear from what were yellow flowering buds. And now I wait to see them change color into shades of red. I’m grateful for patience, and I’ll visit a farmers market in the meantime, as I’m wanting to taste and feel what brings succulent joy in my mouth.
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Anything in nature awakens the awe in me. I love to go for nature hikes and find a new surprise.
The sun. Flowers. The greenness of grass. The newness of everything in my children’s eyes…and being witness to that joy. Grateful for it all.
The wonder of a caterpillar dissolving almost into no thing at all any more to become a butterfly or a dragonfly, all in interaction with the essentially needed light, the plants, the water, the trees, with all of nature, being in all of its beauty to the joy and inspiration of all, embedded in stillness, to re-enter the cycle of life while before making sure their species survive.
The power of water that no one can control. It can be beautiful and majestic as the enormous waves for surfers. And it be deadly as in flash floods and
What is awe-inspiring is the power in storms: lightning, tornadoes, as well as rainbows after a storm.
And I am thinking of the sobering power of the wildfires we have had this summer in Canada and now in Hawaii.
How when someone is sad, just being in connection with them helps transform and transmute their sadness. Goddess bless this incredible design.
I am amazed at how quickly we can find each other through GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi hotspots, etc. Everyday commonplace mobile technology is awe-inspiring… and kind of disturbing!
The pre-dawn sky does it every time.
When I’m able to bring curiosity to life, everything seems to inspire awe.
Even the most ordinary things aren’t ordinary at all. A piece of paper, a fork, a salad. They all have such complicated stories. Trees that have lived for years, which were created by other trees(!), the history of what it takes to craft a piece a paper, the industrial plant where it happens, the draftsman that designed the factory, the workers that travel to work in the plant every day, the truck drivers that deliver the paper, their families, their hobbies. It’s amazing what stories go into everything we interact with every day. When I’m able to consider these stories when interacting with the things in my life it really gives me pause and feels almost impossible. What a crazy place we live in.
This made me think of this poem I read recently: “Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper” by Martin Espada. https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-082/who-burns-for-the-perfection-of-paper/
That’s fantastic. How perfect. Thank you for sharing that. 🙂
I don’t know that a massive oak tree is an ordinary thing but Massive Oaks line parts of Williams Avenue in Natchitoches, Louisiana where I use to live. Driving there is like passing through a live tunnel. They are awesome and awe is such a wonderful word. Whenever I passed there, it felt like they spoke to me: “Forsake fear and choose awe!
Where you are going
and the place you stay
come to the same thing.
What you long for
and what you’ve left behind
are as useless as your name.
Just one time, walk out
into the field and look
at that towering oak —
an acorn still beating at its heart.
Peter Levitt ~
(100 Butterflies)
If only the trees could speak.
Yes, Joseph, what a story they could tell!
Beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing!
My first thoughts are all about light:
A quiet sunrise lighting the sky.
Moonglow streaming through my window–that’s the sun’s light being bounced across millions of miles to the moon, and from the moon to the Earth.
Starlight from even more millions and billions and trillions of miles away.
And then plants:
The magic of seeds.
The abundance of my garden, exploding from tiny seedlings to pounds and pounds of food.
Trees.
Several folks mentioned seeds. That does bring awe to me.
A kind person gave me a small rose plant from the local grocery store. I planted it. It is much lager now and has graced me with 10 lovely yellow tea roses.awe for sure!
Makes me think of the song, “The Rose.”
The thousands of vehicles moving in parallel down a busy interstate highway; sometimes painfully ordinary in my area, but sometimes, with the right vantage, awe awakening as well.
For me it usually has something to do with animals…my cats doing something out of the ordinary….or just being themselves. My dog running..how thrilled I am to see him run and be happy and free. The deer and turkey’s that visit our meadow. The rabbits – who are not bothered at all by us!!! Plus they are eating my tomatoes!! I cannot get one off the vine that is not half eaten…We have fence and the tomatoes have a “cage”…but the rabbits find a way. The rain pouring down and the sky after a quick storm…all fill me with awe.
Then again…there is the ocean that I miss so….the waves pounding the shore…and then a walk in the woods. We are so Blessed. A good day to one and all.
We have “yard bunnies” in our neighborhood and it’s always a moment of magic when I’m walking through the yard and suddenly realize there’s a wild animal right there, eating the clover. We make long eye contact and the bunny seems to recognize I’m not going to hurt it.
Flowering plants are a particular
fascination. Meeting people who have
been doing something for a long time,
fills me with questions. My cats, and their
amazing physical abilities at jumping and
climbing. When getting out of my car,
when I get home late at night and being
struck by the night sky. I’ll often stop for
a minute and just take it in, before going
inside.
Watching my tomato plants grow. Tiny green balls appear from what were yellow flowering buds. And now I wait to see them change color into shades of red. I’m grateful for patience, and I’ll visit a farmers market in the meantime, as I’m wanting to taste and feel what brings succulent joy in my mouth.