Finding Awe

The most beautiful thing
we can experience is the
mysterious. It is the source
of all true art and science.

-ALBERT EINSTEIN

In these days of cacophony, 

unplug, walk outside. 

Catch the scent of frosted air,

 the play of dappled sunshine.

See the stunning beauty 

of nature. Feel the cool

 autumnal air ease

the constrictions of your 

worries, your cares,

 your responsibilities.

Let nature be the bridge 

to a world of sublime beauty,

 your world.

Share a moment with a friend.

Delight in your place in the 

universe.

Allow your ego to shrink, 

your 

imagination to expand.

Mathew 13: 3- 9

Then he told them many things in parables, saying:“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

I've often read this passage without humility thinking about all the ways I'm the good soil. This past week, our Sunday School teacher, Cathy Young, urged us to read this passage in a new way.

“Where is the soil in your own soul hard, rocky, shallow?” Cathy asked. 

 Wow. 

I instantly felt humbled. Because I knew exactly where I'm hard. Exactly where my heart is like a rock. The precise circumstances in which I am shallow or catty or mean.

And then I wandered out into nature and saw all the ways that God uses the circumstances of life, the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows to split our rocky hard hearts.

 God uses daily life to split us open, soften us, work us into the good soil which can accept all circumstances without trying to change them or others. So we learn to love unconditionally, starting with accepting those hard, rocky, thin-soiled places in our own souls.

So that we can say with joy and honesty:

All is well

Get outside Wonder Ones, enjoy God's creation, especially the creation that is you!

Serendipity

Recently I spent an afternoon at my friend Linda's kitchen table drinking wine with Linda, Diana and Judy.

I had a lot of stuff I "should" have been doing.  I should have been home cleaning MY house, I should have been checking on room availability for the new Sunday school class, I should have been mailing out birthday cards and notes of encouragement to dear friends, I should have been putting a press release together for a film festival.

Instead I spent the whole afternoon drinking wine in front of a cheery fire in a stone hearth in Linda's kitchen talking about philosophy, politics, the French philosopher Montaigne, sexuality, romance with our husbands, children, and friends who occasionally annoy us--it was great fun!

Reflecting back on the day and how it all turned out, the house eventually got cleaned, the Sunday school class went off without a hitch, some of the birthday cards arrived a day or so late, and we decided to wait on the press release until we had more details ironed out.

I could have hurried home and missed out on Serendipity!

My dear friend Linda is my Serendipity Coach.  Just look at her house, it's full of little "moments".

Linda jokes that this is where her husband, Bob, pays the bills

Wouldn't you love this hornet's nest, minus the hornets of course, in your home? Linda confesses that there "might" have been just a few hornets left in the nest when she originally brought it in.  No hornets the afternoon we spent in front of the fireplace next to the nest!

I fell in love with Linda's orange chairs, 

and this little cutie (Annie) too!

Linda teaches me that laughter, friendship, good books, great conversation are all worth taking time from the "shoulds" of life.

In order to allow serendipity to sneak in, you've got to allow wide margins in your life.  When I studied art history in college, the professors talked about white space, or negative space as integral to design.  It wasn't "empty" space.  It serves a visual and harmonic purpose.  Just as wide margins in life serve a larger purpose. The only way to have time for serendipity is to leave empty space on your calendar.  Really can any of us accomplish more than three things in a day? 

I've found just trying to get three things done each day cuts into the possibility of allowing magic to occur.

Is there room at your table for magic, whimsy, chance?

If not, if your life is too crowded by "shoulds", how might you clear a little space for chance?!

When I lose inspiration, I just book a session with my Serendipity Coach Linda!

I'm as guilty as the next person of making life too crowded. Won't you share with me how you're making room in your life for Serendipity?