As I continue my practice of daily early morning walks I am discovering a state of being based in deep presence. I call it
Becoming Wonder
To “become” wonder is to come into a state of radical presence.”
— K. Lauren De Boer, Practicing the Art of Wonder through Radical Presence
Though it seems paradoxical, when I take a walk with my camera in hand, I experience more deep presence than when I take a walk without my camera. Perhaps I have trained my mind to look through eyes of wonder when I have my camera along. I pause more often, see more deeply, soak in more beauty, than on my walks without camera in hand.
I am taking more walks without my camera, focusing on intentionally entering deep presence as I walk. Sometimes I manage to stay present. Other times my mind wanders into the future or past. Monkey mind. When I notice my mind is wandering I gently bring it back to my senses. What do I see? How does my skin feel? What do I hear? Can I smell the scent of the air around me? Sometimes I slow down and attempt walking meditation, noticing how my foot touches the earth step by step.
Becoming wonder is a practice that helps me to stay centered during times of uncertainty. And as I practice it, I notice myself wondering more about life itself.
Wondering
One of the things I’ve been wondering about is the vastness of the universe and the purpose of life. Have you ever thought about it? Why does life exist? And what is life’s purpose? Think of everything on this earth and what we think we know about the emergence of life. It is a constant cycle of emergence, growth, dissolution, and death.
“I guess I think differently than most folks. I think the reason the world is a mystical, enchanting place, is because of the cycle of life. My body will decompose, but maybe some little element of it will be transformed into a particle of dirt, over years and years,and then a glorious flower will be nurtured by this particle of dirt. Then this flower will nourish a random bumblebee, who in turn will be eaten by a raven. So, in some future life, I’ll be able to fly. I look forward to that. I’ve always admired the freedom of birds.”
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So much beauty surrounds us — from the delicate hum of the hummingbird’s wings to the sweet scent of flowers in bloom. And alongside all of this beauty and wonder is the devastation of wildfires, drought, illness, floods, hunger, and violence. In the spread of a single day I can feel extreme joy, gratitude, and wonder AND be saddened, pained, and discouraged by the news of what is going on around our country and the world.
Perhaps that’s why some call life, “the full catastrophe.” I hold my deep compassion for those who are suffering in one hand while I hold my deep wonder and appreciation in the other hand.
This week I’ve been feeling great gratitude for a simple bouquet of flowers that I have been photographing, loving the gentle curves of the petals of a single rose, while I move it this way and that creating images. After several experiments with layering numerous photos of a single flower, today I focused on a making a single photograph of the beauty of a single rose.
What are you wondering today?
May you walk in beauty.
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