Yesterday as I was sitting in my chair by the window that looks out at the pond behind our house I noticed a large bird standing on the log at the edge of the pond. As I sat and watched it in a sort of
Heron Daze
I was filled with awe, wonder, and joy.
I think that I’ve talked before about how seeing birds almost always lifts my spirits. Though I cannot explain why seeing them brings me such joy, it does. I feel my heart lift a bit every time a bird takes flight as if I am soaring with it across the wide blue sky. And I am grateful that I live where I can see so many different birds. Living in Minnesota with so many trees, lakes, ponds, and marshes makes seeing birds in the wild so accessible.
Wonder, the mental state of openness, questioning, curiosity, and embracing mystery, arises out of experiences of awe. In our studies, people who find more everyday awe show evidence of living with wonder. They are more open to new ideas. To what is unknown. To what language can’t describe. To the absurd. To seeking new knowledge. To experience itself, for example of sound, or color, or bodily sensation, or the directions thought might take during dreams or meditation. To the strengths and virtues of other people. It should not surprise that people who feel even five minutes a day of everyday awe are more curious about art, music, poetry, new scientific discoveries, philosophy, and questions about life and death. They feel more comfortable with mysteries, with that which cannot be explained.
― Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
Yesterday’s beautiful bird stayed at the edge of the pond long enough for me to grab my camera, change to my telephoto lens, and make numerous photos of it through the window.
At first I was a little confused about what kind of bird it was. My first impression was that it was a great blue heron. But it didn’t have the blue color that I expected. Then I searched online for images of mature and immature great blue herons and discovered that is was an immature great blue heron. Simply realizing that this wonderful bird had hatched from an egg sometime this spring and then had already grown to almost full adult size fills me with awe.
Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.
― Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
Since I began photographing the world around me I experience so much more wonder and awe than I did before. I think that most of us can choose to seek out beauty and experiences of wonder and awe, though sometimes it takes overcoming a kind of inertia to do so. But it is so worth it. I love that little hitch I feel in my heart when I encounter something beautiful in nature.
Tap into your childlike sense of wonder. Young children are in an almost constant state of awe since everything is so new to them. During your walk, try to approach what you see with fresh eyes, imagining that you’re seeing it for the first time. Take a moment in each walk to take in the vastness of things, for example in looking at a panoramic view or up close at the detail of a leaf or flower. Go somewhere new. Each week, try to choose a new location. You’re more likely to feel awe in a novel environment where the sights and sounds are unexpected and unfamiliar to you. That said, some places never seem to get old, so there’s nothing wrong with revisiting your favorite spots if you find that they consistently fill you with awe. The key is to recognize new features of the same old place.
― Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
Do you also experience wonder, joy and awe being out in nature? Make time to take a walk in nature sometime soon.
May you walk in beauty.
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