Beholding (Life, Beauty, Awe)
Ten times a day something happens to me like this - some strengthening throb of amazement - some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.
-Mary Oliver, Low Tide
I will never apologize for embracing joy and beauty - even when the world is falling apart - because joy and beauty are my fuel for activism.
-Karen Walrond, The Lightmaker’s Manifesto.1
These two quotes came across my social media feeds this week. The last two mornings provided the amazement, the swell, the joy, and the beauty. All of them, like Karen Walrond shared, provide me the fuel I need to seek to live as I believe I am called to live - attentive and open.
Friday
Life - so much life.2 Scout and I were finishing up a 3 mile walk around Sharon Lake when I decided to go down to one of the docks and simply sit with the gentle morning fog blowing across the surface. As I sat down on the dewy dock, there was a beautiful spider on the edge but as I looked closer at the spider, I saw so much life swimming around in the water beyond. It was a joy to see because the lake has recently been rehabbed. Before I started recording the video below, I realized how much life had been evident in our walk - the sounds of the birds, the lush woods around the lake, a heron flying low across the water, a deer watching us from the far bank, the spiderweb below the perched bird, and the beaver we saw swimming in the lake. And then these little swimming ones (along with this spider). So. Much. Life.
Saturday
Saturday began with an internal debate between a drive to a further away nature center or just staying nearby. I’m so grateful I stayed close because I would have missed this sunrise. It shifted from the stunning burst of color along the horizon to the softer glow as the sun appeared. It was truly breath-giving. It gave me energy and fullness for the day. You’ll see one of these photos again next Wednesday when my blue photos are posted.
And of course, Scout in the midst of it all…
Grace, Peace, Love, Hope, and Joy,
Ed
This quote comes from one of my favorite moments in my (tied for) favorite TV show of all time - Battlestar Galactica (newer series). There’s a moment where two characters are flying above a lush, life-filled planet, and one quietly and simply says, “So…much…life…”. There’s much more to this scene but I am going to avoid spoilers other than this. If you want to hear the music from the scene (no spoilers), you can click here to soak in this beautiful piece by Bear McCreary simply entitled “So Much Life”