“To find the universal elements enough;
to find the air and the water exhilarating;
to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter…
to be thrilled by the stars at night –
these are some of the rewards of the simple life”.
-John Burroughs
There’s nothing like a healthy dose of awe to lift you out of the mental murk of whatever *stuff* is happening, and back into the feeling of being in harmony with life.
Last night I was biking home around 11 pm. The air was clear and still, and the town had settled into quiet.
At the top of the big hill leading to my neighborhood, there’s a dairy farm where the sky opens up over a field. The stars overhead were brilliant.
Earlier in the day, I’d come across the words above from John Burroughs. I stopped my bike.
The thrill of the stars at night.
The cows rustled faintly in the barn. The air smelled of earth, autumn, and animals. There I was, one animal out of billions, ending her daily migration to look up and catch a few photons of starlight on their 600-year journey.
The reminder of the smallness of my existence on this planet returned a sense of largeness back to my heart. Whatever my mind had been chewing on fell away, and I dropped into the small miracle of being right here, right now.
It was the cheapest – and most deeply satisfying – thrill of my day.
To be in awe is to have your attention fully captivated by what’s right in front of you – and finding that’s more than enough to restore your gladness to Be Here In It.
And what about when you’re not standing in a meadow with stars in your eyes? Like this morning, less than 6 hours later, waking up to a work email that set my heart a’ pounding and my jaw a’ clenching?
To find the air and the water exhilarating. To find the universal elements enough.
Today, the universal elements will take a thousand forms – the sun, the trees, the ring of your alarm clock, your sleepy animal body, stressy emails. There will never be another day exactly like this one. You never know what’s coming next.
And you get to be here for the unfolding of it all, right In It.
One short pause to remember this is a cheap thrill for sure. But it’s right there for whenever you need a little shot of awe.
Love,
Kate
PS – Know someone who might enjoy this post? I’d love for you to share it with them!
PPS – Have you heard Rowan Sway’s new single yet? Intersection is a tune for auspicious meetings, like when photons from a distant star hit your awe-struck eyes! Listen on Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon or your other favorite listening platform :)