this morning after karate, i made blueberry scones. i was standing at my kitchen sink looking out the window, and the sky was a bright, robin's egg blue splashed in a smattering of puffy white clouds. golden sunlight came down in shafts, igniting large, sugary snowflakes that swirled and bent with the ebbing breeze. i was spellbound standing there at that window.
i couldn't help but think, standing there with the sun on my face, "oh man, what matters more than this? this is what everything is about."
now. the present.
that moment.
snow and sunshine and the warmth of the kitchen, my goodness...we miss so many of the most beautiful moments, always reaching for the big and the grand...mmm, but we overlook the gentle rhythm of life, the very breath in our lungs. it reminds me of this quote:
"men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars...and they pass by themselves without wondering."
so often we miss so much. we lose the things that truly make up life in the rush of the rapids, in the constant rush. we pass by ourselves without wonder. we overlook others without wonder. we don't get giddy over snow anymore. we don't close our eyes to breathe deep the scent of fresh baked scones. we don't smile simply because the sun is on our face.
often we live for the promotion, or the whirlwind trip, or the next big project. yet, in doing this we miss so much - we miss life. so many beautiful things slip through our fingers. yes, the "big life events" can be wonder-filled...but honestly, when we slow down and breathe and listen...when we unplug and take a walk in the woods, or tip our faces to the night's sky to watch the stars, or simply embrace someone we love, we are reminded that these - oh these things are the stuff of life. These are the big things. these are the wonders of the world.
we are wonders of the world.
sometimes i find myself just standing in my driveway, spinning and staring up at the sky, barely able to keep my eyes open for the brightness of it all; the glory of this big spinning ball of ocean and earth and sky.
we have starry nights here. we have quiet, sun-soaked afternoons here. we have the patter of rain on the roof. the crunch of freshly fallen snow under warm, woolly boots. we have forests of towering trees and screeching hawks and coyotes and owls that fill the nights with song. ohhh, glory we have wind too - wind that runs her soft fingers through our hair and kisses both our cheeks like she hasn't seen us in ages. we have mountains! and we have rolling fog and gusty blue-gray oceans. we have poetry and we have campfires. we have music. we have have blankets and pillow forts. we have fireflies. summer skies. bike rides and playground swings.
we have so much wonder all around us. we have so much wonder inside of us.
oh, please, don't miss it. don't miss it all. you've probably heard that expression "don't miss the forest for the trees" before but you know what? don't miss the trees for the forest either. don't go so fast and look so far ahead all the time that you don't come close and touch that rough red bark, or breathe deep that fresh cedar wood or notice the soft green moss or see the tiny spider's webs laced with glistening dew.
and don't miss the wonder that is inside of you either. don't miss it.
stay stoked!
kate
