Walking to kindergarten, Felix notices a bush strewn with glittery party streamers. To me, litter lingering after a holiday party. But to him, treasure. I’m impatient, but we stop anyway and disentangle a few streamers from the leafless stems. Putting them in my jacket pocket, he says, “Protect them for me. Ok, Mama?”.
Heart: melted.
Marveling at the mundane is a superpower of childhood. Whenever I notice it, I also notice that I’m in a completely different state: rushing, usually, or distracted by my endless to-do list, or just desperate to get dinner on the table by 6 p.m. Do you know what I mean?
How can I make myself more available for awe? Slowing down is one answer. So is doing less, saying “no” to projects and people more often, and, in general, lowering my expectations for perfection. (My living room is a disaster right now, which I’m actively ignoring so that I can listen to this song on repeat, drink a delicious cup of coffee, and write to you.)
How do you make yourself more available for awe?
Until next Sunday,
Lizzie
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Good morning. I love your Sunday morning emails. It is amazing how easily the "AWE" is accessible for children and how as adults we aren´t aware of it anymore. Life is full of "AWES". Since my children are grown up, I try to find the little moments when walking my dog. I try to pause when she pauses instead of dragging her to keep on walking so I can get back to do whatever I think needs to urgently be done. It is challenging to walk that way but also nourishing. Have a lovely Sunday. Silke
How do I open myself to Awe? Instead of getting impatient when my old (15) dog stops to sniff for what seems like hours, I stop and listen to the sounds around me. I look with intent at the way the sun is shining its light on the trees, or the way the clouds are moving across the sky, or which direction the birds are flying, or the sound the leaves make as the wind sends them scurrying down the street like a panicked crowd. To be in tune with what is happening at the moment, because it is life happening in each moment.