A Taste of Spring

I spent the morning at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Spring Flower Show which opened today. It was a beautiful

Taste of Spring

I got together with an old friend and we wandered, chatted, admired plants, sat, and talked some more. I’ve been going to the Arboretum’s Spring Flower Show for a number of years now. Each year its different. Some years I like it more than others. But I am always amazed at the imagination and design skill of those who put this flower show together.

It was lovely to wander around looking at all of the green things growing. I was surprised how many people came out for the flower show on this sub-zero temperature day. But perhaps like me, they were looking for a taste of spring.

Everyday Wonder

Yesterday I listened to this year’s first On Being episode. It featured an interview with Dacher Keltner, author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. I listened with interest and a sense of “Yes, that’s been my experience since I fell in love with photography.”

According to Keltner, the answer to the question, “How do I lead a good life?” is “Find awe.” I was fascinated by parallels of what he was describing about how seeking awe changes us and how I found that practicing photography and seeking beauty changed me.

For me, the awe practice in the grief was, I — awe walks are simply — we’ve tested this scientifically — go out and do a walk and look for things that amaze you, big and small. And you can do that. I gathered up a lot of sacred texts to stay close to. I went to “awe spots.” I just — I don’t know much about music, but I really intentionally went into music to find what is awe-inspiring about it. So, I made it a practice in life like a lot of people do like you’ve said, like religion or spirituality. And it changed my life.

   — Dacher Keltner, On Being Interview, The Thrilling New Science of Awe

The more that I go out in nature looking for beauty, the more awe and joy I experience. It is a wonderful self-reinforcing habit, profoundly spiritual, and deeply meaningful.

…what I’m excited about is kind of the next frontier of that neuroscience, which is: okay, the self regions of the brain calm down. What — how do we make sense of this feeling you have with awe that your boundaries are dissolving and you’re part of everything? And to use your language, which I really almost used in this — in thinking about the purpose of awe is “to recognize what’s life-giving.”

Because that is a common thread across the wonders of life, of awe. And that will be really interesting new neuroscience that’s on the horizon.

Life Giving

I like Keltner’s words, “to recognize what’s life-giving.” It seems to me that so much of what passes for entertainment and culture in our world today is not life giving, especially things like social media and spending so much time in front of screens. If we practice awe I think it will change us in fundamental ways, helping us learn of the importance of connecting with others and with nature.

Wishing you a beautiful awe-filled weekend.

May you walk in beauty.