One day while eating my lunch at a small table on my back porch, an unexpected guest arrived. This tiny visitor, no longer than a dime is wide, marched along the edge of the table from left to right, past my plate, and stopped to gaze at the Mexican sunflower leaves draping over the table and blocking its path. When I put my fork down and adjusted my glasses to get a better view, my jaw dropped in surprise and wonder.
This marvelous, fantastical being had to have been transported to my table from another galaxy! In my entire life, I had never seen an insect that looked like this. What world did it come from? Where is it going? What cosmological intelligence could have created such a Suess-like, fairy-tale creature, in such a small package?
This unexpected guest made my day. I was in awe of the great Mystery of life, how a tiny bug could be such a source of curiosity and delight.
In the book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, psychologist and author Dacher Keltner describes awe as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world“.
Dr. Keltner’s research suggests that awe and wonder are essential to our mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being. Health benefits include calming of the nervous system and releasing of oxytocin—the “cuddle-chemical” that promotes well-being, social interaction, growth and healing.
Opportunities for awe and delight are everywhere—like the kid I saw unicycling downhill (yeah one wheel, no brakes!) with a humongous bouquet of flowers in his hands, or the “goth” teen who with utmost patience helped an elder who dropped her bag, or my recent discovery at the top of Skinner Mountain—three luminous rainbow shafts streaming down from threatening, gray storm clouds as they drifted over the river and valley floor. These moments are ephemeral and easily missed, but when we take time to pause and appreciate them, they can connect us to the transcendent and to a Presence greater than ourselves.
During these unprecedented, challenging times, it’s tempting to sink into negativity and focus on “what’s wrong” with ourselves and the world. With a small shift in attention, however, we gift ourselves with the joy, awe and wonder that is our birthright. We come face-to-face with that mysterious paradox of life: that light and darkness coexist as one. Rainbows stream down from storm clouds. Great loss is accompanied by great love. While war rumbles, a unicyclist is bringing flowers to a beloved, and an elder is helped across the road.
