The Everyday Human

August: On Wonder and Awe August 31 We are a part of these wild and beautiful things contained on Earth. We are fortunate to have developed consciousness and to be able to recognize the life and wonder around us. We are privileged to breathe this air and cultivate this land and to work with the animals and each other to survive. And we have the privilege of looking up at the stars, those beautiful...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 30 It might sound like nothing, but there in that moment, under the blue sky, warm in the sun, the sound of water from the creek not far off, and the scent of that beautiful plant . . . it was everything. If only for a moment. And following that moment, I couldn’t help but feel I just experienced awe. Wonder at being present at the exact time and place where everyt...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 29 We’re humans, not gods! We aren’t meant to be all-knowing. Part of the fun of life is not knowing and then learning and discovering . What is more thrilling than trying so damn hard to learn something, whether from a book or in physical practice, and then failing over and over and over again until one day, it finally clicks. And you can say, Eureka! I’ve got it!...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 28 Moments of wonder and awe bring us into a sort of perfect stillness (at least internally). They force us into the present moment, however long it may last, and they help us concentrate on living, ironically, perhaps, by forcing us to focus on something that usually transcends life. Wonder and awe steal you away from hopes or fears, anxiety or contentedness, happ...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 27 And then there’s the odd uneven times in between—I believe this is where humans fit best. We are transitory creatures by nature and so it is the days when nature herself has yet to decide what she wants to be and so becomes a little bit of everything that we feel most at home. This is a touchpoint in us as we are shapeshifters in our appearance from infant to ad...

This reflection or musing is not a part of our regularly scheduled programming.  Think of it as a bonus.  Bridges are necessary. You cannot get from point a to point b without them. And our lives are filled with bridges that MUST be crossed.  What’s the alternative? Going back to where you came from? Not an option. The traffic of life goes one way. Stay there on the bridge forever? If you want to...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 26 Music was a trusted companion through many challenging times, and it was right there with me through some of the best times as well. It is an alchemy of sorts. It has the ability to change your mood from somber to happy or slow and lethargic to energized. It inspires movement. It inspires thought. It gives us chills and moves us to tears. It brings people togeth...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 25 Lose yourself in the stars and the thought of how miniscule you are in the vastness of the universe. Lose yourself in the thought that you are but one soul among billions trying to make it just as you are in a mischievous and mercurial world. Be shattered by the magnitude of the mountains and lose your mind contemplating the vastness and mystery of the sea. But...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 24 They sit in the pews of Sagrada Família, looking up at the cavernous, intricate ceiling and stained-glass windows. “Do you know when construction began on this basilica?” “I don’t know.” “Antoni Gaudí began construction here in 1882 and since then—” “Do you know the reason for it all?” says the know-nothing. “Well, it was inspired by a bookseller named—” replies...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 23 Awe is a double-edged sword.  In a way, it satisfies us. Certain types of it (for there are many, and not all must be grand and induced by nature) allow us to proclaim that we were there, as Crane’s man did. It allows us to declare that we scaled the mountain, sailed the ocean, or reached the stars. But with that elevation, we are humbled. It shines a light on o...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 22 I step up onto the seat now, looking into the ocean. Slate gray, some blue. I have no idea how deep it is—maybe anywhere from 30 to 50 to 80 feet out this far. And I have no idea what lurks below those waves, but my mind likes to guess at it. Fish, sharks, squid, dolphins, plenty of jellyfish, maybe whales, maybe . . . a kraken. Every true adventurer of the sea...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 21 It’s an extraordinary little universe back in that compost pile. The cycling of life and death, the plants beginning their lives there as sprouts to one day venture out into the big, wide garden where they will fulfill their purpose, die, and then return to the place they came.  As I work the compost, watching the worms and wasps and flies do their work, and as...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 20 You have to imagine . You have to envision in your mind how you would live in different circumstances. How you would live if you had more time to do the things that mattered most to you. How you would live if you could spend more time in nature, standing still in the middle of the day watching a butterfly until it flew off into the sky. How you would live with m...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 19 Reading the fantasy stories of Jacques’ Redwall, Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, Haydon’s Symphony of Ages, and countless comic books, stole me away from a life that I sometimes did not wish to inhabit, and thrust me into fantastical worlds and realms with magic, sorcery, powers, heroes, villains, and breathtaking landsca...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 18 It’s not the spoon that brings out the flavor, is it? The flavor is in the sauce itself, in each and every ingredient that comes together to make a single, solitary entity. The spoon just gives it a gentle nudge to bring it all out and push it toward something beautiful. And just so, the capacity for wonder and awe is within us all. I can’t quite say what it is,...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 17 “The danger!” “The danger, yes—that’s real, but I would also venture to say the business of love. I love her, Darrel. And something happens . . . once you step off the last leaf of your flower here. Your eyes open up to it all: the beauty, wonder, and yes, the danger, but no matter how hard you try . . . you can’t shut them again. Because the ground is out there...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 16 That smile on his face at the wonder of its impossible existence. Would I trade that for an image or idea of something I’ve never seen? Something I might believe others had, or have? Or will I hold it, cherish it, protect it— —because it is more than just an old photograph. More than a deceased idea from a dead world. So much more. In that it is real. Reflection...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 15 To stand before art is not just to behold its beauty and feel the emotions stirring within you, it is also to marvel at the fact that another human, likely in another time and another place, created something so special and beautiful, and to feel like it exists almost solely for you—while knowing it exists for every other human who experiences it. Consider art f...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 14 Look at the mountain from the bottom of a field and you will know what it feels like to be an ant. Look at the doe cleaning her fawn in the glade toward the peak and you will know that love and care transcend humanity. Take the time to see the mountain from afar and from up close—as a part of it. Take the time to see your loved ones, the world, and everything in...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 13 It’s getting more difficult to find unexplored and mysterious lands in this world, but there is much still unfathomed by you as an individual. There is so much you haven’t seen and do not understand, and luckily, there always will be. Leave the stale air and artificial light behind. Leave the news and incessant chattering, those ear worms of social media and the...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 12 Most everything we exist beside in the modern world (manmade stuff at least) is screaming in your face and waving its arms around jumping up and down, demanding information or attention or even answers from you. Wonder on the other hand, makes one simple request of you: it asks that you exist in the moment and in the stillness and silence of your mind, simply ex...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 11 Working outside, among the wonder of nature and the plants, has taught me that what I perceived to be good for me (less bugs and pristine leaves), is not good for nature or the world, and thus not good for me because I am a part of that world, not some entity existing outside of it. I have learned to share. How many tomatoes can I actually eat? How many zucchini...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 10 Experiencing a sea change is like climbing out of a dark cave and seeing the light of the sun on each blade of grass, stopping to recognize a smile on a loved one’s (or even a stranger’s) face, having patience and reverence for each stage of a flower from young bud to full bloom—and then applying all of this to your daily life. And this isn’t to say that life is...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 9 And then, there are the moments of the in-between. In thinking about this quote from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , I don’t know if it’s possible to look at everything through the lens of the first or last time. Or even if we should. These moments are special for the simple fact that they are the first and the last. And those moments in between—they might not be the...

August: On Wonder and Awe August 8 What do we stand to lose still— those things that once taken, cannot be put back or made right again? We stand on the precipice of losing so much and adding to the pile of bones. Reflection title: How Much More Can We Stand To Lose? Creative inspiration:  Cormac McCarthy, The Road Reflection question: What am I doing on a daily basis to cultivate and preserve the...