time.

chapter 1

BE IN AWE OF EVERYTHING

And awe suddenly

passing beyond itself. Becomes

a form of comfort.

—DENISE LEVERTOV

W

hen I zoom out on my life, I’m in awe of everything. It isn’t just the tiny details that wow me; it’s the way that they somehow fit into the giant fold of the universe. This fitting together, this wonder of small and large, this is the heart of poetry, and you can exercise it anywhere, anytime.

I fell in love with the word awe about eight years ago. I’m not sure how it came to me, but suddenly I found myself with three letters strung together that perfectly describe my most familiar state of being.

The common dictionary definition of awe is a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. It’s that reverential respect that I’m so often filled with when I take in our world. I like that fear is in there as well, not because I walk around afraid of the majesty that is life, but because it hints at the presence of death woven into the fabric of our impermanent existence. Our wonder is attached to the fleeting nature of our reality.

The fact that it could all be gone at any

moment, that all of our experience is tangled

up with so much pain and loss, is part of why

it’s so amazing to rejoice in every offering

that life throws our way.

AWE IS THE

CENTERPIECE OF

ACCEPTANCE.

If we allow ourselves to practice awe in any situation, conjuring up a deep reverence for all things, we never miss the splendor or the importance of the moment. Awe is what allows me to meet life with my eyes open wide. It’s my ever-growing admiration for the complexity of human understanding, and it’s often my source of joy or pleasure in otherwise seemingly monotonous or trying times. Awe can also act as a verb. I can be awed by something. Awe is an active thing, it’s coming at me from all angles, and it helps me accept the ephemeral nature of being human. Awe is an opportunity, and if you acquaint yourself with it, it becomes infinitely abundant and accessible.

Wherever you stand at any moment, whatever the situation, you can drum up a large dose of awe to get you through. Awe is appreciation. Awe is curiosity. It gets you to look closer, to lead with patience and compassion, awareness and intrigue. There is no shortage of fascination in the human spirit. We were born to ask why. We are here to make up our own answers. This is the poetry of being alive.

How can we be in awe of things that are horrific? Awe is not married to the light. We can be in awe of darkness. That feeling of breath leaving the body as you gasp in horror while watching the news, that’s awe. All things hard or soft are amazing. This amazement comes from our ability to keep asking how and why. What’s this all for? Where did it begin? Our stories continue to change as we ask more questions and look closer. We once thought the earth was flat! Our awe and wonder asked us to dig deeper, to find more, to know more, and to share it. As we roll in orbit around our burning sun, we know that nothing is certain, and it’s our awe that keeps us interested in the great