LIVING IN WONDER MOMENTS
“Life is to find the holy in the banal; the glorious mundane. The perfect, daily moments of nothing-special that, simply by virtue of noticing them, become
possibilities of inherent wonder. The greatest gift I’ve received in the past few years, something particularly attributable to the Celts, is that of awakening to these shimmering possibilities in the blasé and dull. How brightly they shine under the light of the God of order and magnificent delights.” By Robert Rife in the blog Innerwoven.
What a wonderful challenge Rob Rife offers us: find the holy in the banal and the glorious in the mundane, and waking the shimmering possibilities in the blasé and the dull. Here’s a start. I’d love to have you add to this list in a comment.
- following a bee’s aeronautical journey from one flower to another: flyover, land, pick up pollen, fly over, land, pick up pollen , fly over, land, pick up pollen. . .
- washing spaghetti crusted plates, rinsing them, drying them and seeing them shine in the sunlight
- catching a baby’s eye and smiling – it’s a truly holy moment if she smiles back.
- wiping away tears during a moving edition of Story Corps on NPR and – feeling the beauty in joining in with another’s joy or pain.
- breathing in the aroma of freshly popped popcorn and anticipating the salty-buttery taste
- joining the energy in motion of a treadmill
- watching a grasshopper effortlessly and hugely hop across a sidewalk,
- finally grasping heart-wise the meaning of a Richard Rohr sentence
- being embodied again by a Mozart symphony decades after I studied it note by note, instrument by instrument
- noticing the shiny red of the crab apples against the green leaves on the tree outside my window
- being able to stand on one leg – just for 3 seconds – after weeks of balance practice.
- sharing a moment with a listening friend who is focused totally on my words
- burrowing in the warmth and security of a pile of blankets as I prepare to sleep
- bracing as my granddaughter launches herself into a hug with a “Hi, grandma!!!!”
Living as Apprentices 
I was meditating on God’s delight early one morning as I sat on the front steps of my son’s country home. In the next moment an ordinary humming bird was a few inches of my face, stayed for a moment and then flew off. My quiet meditation turned into extraordinary experience…God given for sure.
This is a real challenge for me right now….to nourish the soul by finding delight and wonder in ordinary things. And they are there if we just look and are aware of it! Thanks, Karen!
This is very meaningful to me. I like the reference to Richard Rohr – wow, when a light goes on I wonder where I have been for so long. Love the grandchild jumping into your arms – I have to brace myself too. A very precious and priceless experience. Thank you, Karen. I appreciate you.