When was the last time you had an awe inspiring experience? Was it when you viewed the stars in the night sky, looked up at a skyscraper, saw a sunrise, the moon rising or fading into daylight? Were you looking at birds in flight or nesting? Were you listening to a symphony or an inspiring hymn? Was it when you met your grandchild for the first time? Was it when you fell in love and realized it? They can all be magical moments. The key is that they present a view of life beyond our daily routines. Their exceptionalism makes them awe inspiring. They take us out of ourselves.
Our lives are often filled with distraction, confusion, and turbulence. Turn on the TV or your computer. They are often portals to anxiety and irritation. A recent article in The NY Times entitled How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health highlights the benefits of having awe in your life. Importantly, witnessing awe has a positive impact on our physical and mental health and accelerates a sense of well-being. The awe event "is calming our nervous system." It releases oxytocin, a hormone that "...promotes trust and bonding." Oh, what a feeling.
The article points out that in the modern world we are often too distracted by every day events that we miss moments of awe. We need to work on having more awe inspiring moments by rewiring our lives and activities and being more open to live in the moment. Some people can meditate and cleanse their minds from the jumbled thoughts that course through our minds. Others need only stop, look and listen and focus on something new. Witnessing an act of kindness counts. Seeing kindness in action is powerful. It gives us pause to reflect and hopefully store the moment so that we can replicate that act of kindness through our own actions. There are many ways to be awe struck. Now focus and be open to some magic in your life.
