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Posts tagged ‘awe’

Jan 28

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Enduring

“The insight and wisdom we gain in our journey through love and suffering is transformational and enduring.” Mark Nepo, Surviving Storms

“You may not control life’s circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them.”― Atul Gawande, Being Mortal

On the path.
Curves, hills, detours.
May you look up, around, ahead.
Wander off trail.
Slowing to see and absorb the full rich view, scenery and beauty.
Seeking and finding joy and delight in ordinary days.
Peace and endurance in struggle.
Blessings in the burdens.
Gratitude and patience in the mystery and unknowing.
Awe and wonder to author your life well.

“The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one’s life—to avoid becoming so diminished or dissipated or subjugated that who you are becomes disconnected from who you were or who you want to be.”― Atul Gawande, Being Mortal

Jan 7

The Power of Awe and Wonder

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”― Albert Einstein

In a recent New York Times article How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health, research shows that there are health benefits to experiencing awe. As we start the new year with resolutions and intentions, a practice of awe could be the one that facilitates success of the others. Children are the authors of awe. Adults lose it when we enter the “real world.” We become flat, asleep and on autopilot checking off our “to do” lists. According to research, awe is something you can develop, with practice:

  1. Pay attention
  2. Focus on the “moral beauty” of others – witness the goodness of others
  3. Practice mindfulness – distraction is the enemy of awe
  4. Choose the unfamiliar path – gravitate to the unexpected

“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world,” said Dacher Keltner, author of a new book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

May awe be your new practice and daily habit to expand, deepen and brighten your journey. We can even find in the midst of winter.

“What makes awe such a powerful call to love is that it’s disruptive. It sneaks up on us. It doesn’t ask our permission to wow us; it just does. Awe can arise from a single glance, a sound, a gesture.”― Sharon Salzberg, Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection

Jul 9

Wonderment

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” – James M. Barrie

Awaken to see the wonder all around in this very moment.
Ask, pause and listen for answers.
In reach and available.
Assume nothing, allow more.
In wandering, exploration and seeking, we make the journey an adventure.
The process and the outcome are the gifts.
Double blessing.

Wonderland

“It is a person’s unquenchable thirst for wonder
That sets them on their initial quest for truth.
The more doors you open, the smaller you become.
The more places you see and the more people you meet,
The greater your curiosity grows.
The greater your curiosity, the more you will wander.
The more you wander, the greater the wonder.
The more you quench your thirst for wonder,
The more you drink from the cup of life.
The more you see and experience, the closer to truth you become.
The more languages you learn, the more truths you can unravel.
And the more countries you travel, the greater your understanding.
And the greater your understanding, the less you see differences.
And the more knowledge you gain, the wider your perspective,
And the wider your perspective, the lesser your ignorance.
Hence, the more wisdom you gain, the smaller you feel.
And the smaller you feel, the greater you become.
The more you see, the more you love —
The more you love, the less walls you see.
The more doors you are willing to open,
The less close-minded you will be.
The more open-minded you are,
The more open your heart.
And the more open your heart,
The more you will be able to
Send and receive —
Truth and TRUE
Unconditional
LOVE.”

― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

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