Awe

Awe.

I must admit that I don't spend much time in awe. Awe seems to be something that we outgrow during adulthood, unlike our childhood days where we experienced it quite frequently. In fact my grandson's reaction to viewing fireworks for the first time was a repeated, "Woah," each time a new one exploded. 

Although, I enjoyed watching the fireworks this year they didn't have the same effect on me. One thing that really awed me was the Grand Canyon. Now the sad part is that if it takes something as magnificent as the Grand Canyon to stop me in my tracks, then finding awe in the ordinary is probably a losing battle.  

 Interestingly enough, it has only been in recent years that psychologists have begun to study awe. Researchers Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt define awe as, "the feeling of being in the presence of something vast and greater than the self, that exceeds current knowledge structures." 

What might awe do to your world if you allowed it in or recognized it? I suppose planning yearly vacations to far away places could provide opportunities for awe, but what if you could find it closer to home?  What if awe is more a mindset than a reaction?  

I found myself the other day taking great pleasure in watching the tableside guacamole being made in front of me, and was pretty awed by the twenty or so perfect avocados on the cart. Do you know how hard it is to even find one perfect avocado?

Maybe it's just a matter of being receptive to something we so often overlook as plain and ordinary. Perhaps slowing down a little, and being more present in the moment might result in greater joy and contentment. Expect awe and you just might find it.