I heard Jason Silva's words, "our environment sets the stage for our experience" a few days ago and I can't stop thinking about that statement and the truth it holds for me. I've been processing SO MUCH in the past 16 days (I can't believe i've been here 16 days!!) but the process has seemed bright - fruitful - the air of potential underlines everything all because - or I believe because I wake up everyday in love with my home - my kitchen - my rooftop - my bedroom - my town - my environment.
Today I walked down to where the river meets the ocean (my favorite place) and found 5 huge jellyfish on the beach - the fishy salty air - the cadence of the waves all layering to produce a state of AWE inside of me. I starting thinking about Jason's words and my experience the past few weeks and started to wonder...what if we lived in AWE, not all the time but if we experienced regular moments of AWE? How would it influence/affect our abilities to live/process/accept the rest, those sometimes intense/overwhelming/draining elements of life?
I have always found my most intense moments of AWE exploring/being out in nature. I can get lost in the greatness of the mountains. I remember the first time I drove on the North Cascades Highway (HWY 20) in North Central Washington and had this moment where I felt like I lost the boundaries of my body I was so overcome by the sensation of being engulfed by mountains. This past year living in Boston area I've really formed a connected to the power of the ocean. This mysterious/secretive body that changes it's appearance throughout the day - it's ruled by the cycles of the moon - and contains another world of mystical beings/creatures that it sometimes pushes ashore for us to discover/marvel in. The ocean fills me with AWE.
What does living in moments of AWE look like to you? Where do you find your AWE? How do you add it to your life?
I hope you spend sometime thinking about your source(s) of AWE and find ways to incorporate them into your daily/weekly/monthly rituals.
