“People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.”
St. Augustine
The mountains, the waves of the seas, the stars freckled across the sky – these things are awesome. They still invoke awe in me, even after I’ve seen them millions of times. I’m still moved by their wonder and mystery, touched by their beauty, and profoundly grateful that I can share in them.
Nature is awe-inspiring for many people, but we are surrounded by awesome things everyday and we seldom notice. Take a gander at your miraculous body, for one. Look at yourself in the mirror, stare into your own eyes and contemplate what it takes for them to work and also what they convey about who you are. Awesome.
Anything that is unexpected, larger than life, exceptional, sublime, or so profound and powerful that it lingers beyond our comprehension is awesome.
And it’s a good thing when we notice. Because when we are in touch with that emotion – the feelings that well up in is in such a big way that we often cannot describe the experience in a way that does it justice, we tend to feel good. Fulfilled. Our lives take on greater meaning because, as Dacher Keltner, PhD., a psychology professor at the University of California has discovered in his research, awe makes us feel as though we are a part of something bigger. Part of the energy of the Universe, or a divine force. Connected.
Feelings of awe also increase oxytocin levels and that prompts us to want to connect and care and share with others. Ever watched a powerful performance and then sent your friend the You-Tube link so they could see it too? Ever stood in a place and marveled at the clouds and the rivers and the trees and wanted to take a loved one back there?
We describe those moments as awesome, because there truly are no words big enough to describe them. There are no other words that fit. And we go forward feeling better for having experienced those awesome moments. They linger within us sometimes for a lifetime. Perhaps we can’t fully describe what the experience was like, but we can feel it deeply and in that we are changed for the better.
For just a moment now, think about an awesome moment you experienced. Go through it again. Where were you? What touched you about it? What did it sound like? Feel like? Remember the moment vividly and you’ll drum up those good feelings again. Then go forward and look for the awesome in your day. It’s there. And you’ll feel better just in the noticing.
Photo by: Stock.xchng
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