“Oh, Look!”
Living gratefully today, I acknowledge both the challenges and the opportunities in the day ahead. And I remind myself to take the day one moment at a time, staying present and aware, not getting ahead of myself or getting bogged down by the little regrets that will stack up if I let them.
I really appreciated this video, provided in a 5-day awe practice from Grateful Living.
Fascinated by Nature (3-minutes, featuring Vicki).
She begins with a phrase she often uses: “Oh, Look!” Nature, and life, always offer us spectacular little doses of awe. My husband Darcy and I were sitting on our back patio the other morning and I quietly said “oh, look!” There was a hummingbird hovering nearby long enough for us both to appreciate the tiny little creature. The next morning, I saw a hummingbird again, maybe the same one, maybe not. But I felt the same awe and gratitude.
I love being outside and experiencing what the day offers. I savor the changing seasons and what each brings. Sun, moon, clouds, trees, shadows, colorful blooms, and changing vegetation are all current offerings.
In these hot and humid times, we had a cool weekend, and a promise of things to come. This poem by James Crews hits home:
It’s a shiver that climbs the trellis
of the spine, each tingle a bright white
morning glory breaking into blossom
beneath the skin. It can happen anywhere,
anytime, even finding this sleeve of ice
worn by a branch all morning, now fallen
on a bed of snow. You can choose to pause,
pick it up, hold the cold thing in your hand
or not. Few tell us that wonder and awe
are decisions we make daily, hourly,
minute by minute in the tiny offices
of the heart—tilting the head to look up
at every tree turned into a chandelier
by light striking ice in just the right way.
-James Crews-
And this picture captured one of those “oh, look!” moments on our patio this weekend. Give yourself some “oh, look!” opportunities today.
