Big Things
And Small Ones
I’m spending most of this month traveling - work, pleasure, exploration, family… And regular movement from place to place means taking in the world a little bit differently each day. What magic? I thought, as I was nailing down logistics. A month of wonder.
I’m not done yet, so you’ll have to wait for the photo reel, but I can verify that changing it up locationally is a great way to kickstart your seeking and finding. Though things haven’t quite gone as expected.
I’ve thrilled at a number of dramatic things - sweeping views, towering buildings, cliffs, volcanoes, bright lights, theatrical staging, long-held notes, room-sized artworks, monuments both ancient and modern. And I’ve marveled at beautiful abundance in gelato shops, in breakfast buffets and pizzerias, in an endless rainbow array of leather bags, in flora and fauna, craft and commerce, art and architecture. In five states, three countries, and too many time zones for ideal sleep, I found myself wondering at both natural and man-made things that were sensationally BIG to eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch.
What I struggled to access amidst all this magical awe, was the small stuff.
On most of my travel stops, I’ve had the gift of time to wander on my own, without a ticking clock or set agenda. Yet the large and loud still commanded my attention. Though I was setting forth each day with E.B. White’s invocation to, “Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder,” my attention veered up and out to what dominated the skyline.
In The Quiet Life, Susan Cain describes a professor friend who studies altered states and consciousness. While he finds that most people cannot claim a personal profound awakening or sense at-oneness with all things, awe is “the every-person’s spiritual experience.” We are all pulled out of our sense of ordinary by things that awe.
How easy it is, amidst Big things in our world to feel amazement.
But what of the still, small wonders?
William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence suggests:
“…a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
…Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour”
It may be difficult to hold on to such innocence as a traveler. There’s always so much to see and do. Purveyors of tourist highlights tend to downplay quietude, and if you’re juggling business with seeing the sights, balance is going to be a challenge. But we can build capacity to see small awesomeness in and around the big stuff by lingering extra long with journal and camera where nothing is necessarily happening.
When I wandered aimlessly on my first walk in New York, I did find a charm. Amid the warrens of Italian side streets, I followed a rabbit trail or two. I even lost myself in silent wonder in an airport. For a moment.
With a week away from home still on my travel docket, I know I’ll face more impressive sights and find temptation in busy environments, but I’m challenging myself to dig deeper.
If I keep looking, I’m bound to wander my way to some small things that nonetheless evoke the extraordinary.
What small wonders are you finding on your journeys ?
Let’s compare notes come November!
Often times I feel too bogged down by busyness to be awed, but I am finding wonder in my neighborhood's gorgeous foliage