Awe and Wonder
An offering for when time seems to be speeding up not slowing down…
Does it ever feel like life is flashing by? Like you’ll blink and a year has passed? You seem to spend so much of your time ruminating on the past, or worrying about and/or planning for the future that the present moment seems to pass you by? And yet when we were six, it felt like time went on for eternity. The summer holidays were the longest ever; the countdown to Christmas excruciating. There’s a theory that suggests that part of the reason time seemed to go slowly when we were six was that we were experiencing everything for the first time, or at least everything was relatively new. The discovery of a ladybird on a leaf, observing its bright red back and counting its spots. Seeing snow for the very first time, floating down in delicate tufts from the dark sky and sticking our tongues out to taste the coldness before it melted away. Maybe if we could recapture some of this awe and wonder, we could stop time from feeling like its whizzing by.
But how can we get more awe and wonder in our lives? I can almost hear you scoffing well it’s alright when we’re six, we don’t have any responsibilities, we have TIME to look at a ladybird on a leaf. I’ve got the washing to do and bills to pay. Then there’s the newness element – so little in our lives is new these days compared to when we were six. But maybe there’s something in making time and seeking out the new…
Just take a look at these gorgeous colours @Jules Lowe Counselling
It doesn’t have to take long, but when you notice something beautiful or awe-inspiring, maybe take a few seconds to stop and take it in. Notice the glimmers, the moments of joy around us, however small and brief they may be. The way the sun shines golden beams through the trees. The thunderous power of a waterfall. The magnificent spectacle of stars twinkling in the sky. Seriously, have you seen the sky? I’ve found myself looking up more and more recently and ok, sometimes it’s grey and nothing-much-to-see-here, but so often there’s something different and beautiful to see, from pink clouds to the most brilliant of blues.
Ok, OF COURSE I’m going to marvel at nature because it’s just there, minding its own business, looking FABULOUS. But you can find your own awe and wonder – the spine-tingling sensation created from listening to a certain combination of chords, witnessing an act of kindness from another human being or seeing a double-decker train for the first time. When we are young, we get that feeling without having to really try, but as an adult, perhaps we need to actively choose to look for it. Because once you start looking, I’ve found it’s all around us.
And as for the newness, sometimes we do get to experience new things, and if we’re not careful we whizz past these experiences because we’re onto planning the next. I sometimes find that I can look forward to something for ages, like visiting a new place, but by the time I’m there I’m already planning ahead to what’s next on the agenda (or what we’re going to eat… It’s often food-related…). What if instead we slowed down and enjoyed the new experience that was happening all around us? We can’t actually stop time, but by consciously making an effort to pause and be present, we may just feel as if we’ve gained a few extra moments.
A sprinkling of snow can look like a sprinkling of magic on my outdoor space @Jules Lowe Counselling
Sometimes it may be a case of reframing things, of seeing things through different spectacles. Take the snow. When it snowed a few weeks ago, I walked to my Outdoor Space to do a risk assessment, to decide whether the ground was too slippery to safely walk on, to decide if the roads were a skid hazard, and to generally decide if it was too cold to be outdoors. And yet as soon as I arrived, I was taken aback by just how beautiful it was. The sprinkling of sparkling snow made everything look magical, from the trees to the path through the field (like a white-brick road that looked too enticing not to follow), and I couldn’t stop staring at the ice on the water. I eventually remembered why I was there and got in touch with my clients to make sure they wore suitable footwear and wrapped up warm and we had just the best day. I left with a red nose but a warm heart.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still nervous about driving in the snow and ice – we need a level of anxiety to protect us and keep us safe. It’s less about ignoring any potential dangers and more about ALSO looking out for the wonderful things that life has to offer. Because the more you search for moments of awe and wonder in your everyday life, the more you will find them, and maybe, just maybe, the feeling of time slowing down might feel within your grasp once more…
Want to join me in noticing the awe and wonder of the outdoors? Book an initial call with me and discover how we could work together.
