10 Days of Awe
A recent daily email from the Times contained an article about the Jewish High Holy Days, a ten-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It’s the time God is said to be deciding who will and who will not be inscribed in the book of life in the coming year. It is a time for self-reflection, to seek forgiveness and make amends.
It is referred to as 10 days of awe, and I was struck by that word - awe, and where the writer, Emma Goldberg took it. She interviewed rabbis, priests, artists, and author Dacher Keltner, who wrote a book called, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.
Most interesting to me was her finding that the experts she interviewed focus on finding little nuggets of awe in their everyday routines. This reminded me of the practice of “small indulgences” Faith Popcorn talks about in her book, The Popcorn Report. I adopted this idea years ago – taking a minute to indulge yourself in some treat to celebrate an accomplishment or task completed. The treat may be food, but it may be something else that just makes you feel good.
I raised both of my kids to celebrate the small things. It was intentional, but not really top of mind at all times. But I realized we had made it part of our routines when my daughter informed me, she is trying to encourage her husband to embrace small indulgences. His habit is to simply move on to the next thing when he finishes something. She helps him celebrate the small things, whether it’s going for a special coffee, or taking a bike ride.
But, back to the word awe. The people in the interview all seem to treat awe as if it’s a muscle to develop, not an experience that washes over them. It’s being intentional about noticing life, whether on the freeway or the subway, through music or personal interactions.
As you may know, I live on a pond. It is six minutes from downtown Minneapolis, yet filled with awe-inspiring wildlife. Yesterday, a bald eagle flew over my head while I was on the path around the pond. This morning, a woman walking her dog told me she had seen the eagle. The awe in her eyes! She couldn’t believe it! And even though I’ve lived here a long time and have seen many eagles, I am always struck by their beauty, and our luck at having them live among us. What fun to see the awe on the woman’s face.
The article ends with an invitation to be intentional about noticing and finding awe, in the good and bad of life. At least that is my takeaway, as a firm believer in the power of intention. (a later NYT article talked about the authors disdain for intention, so there’s that, too)
We can notice the small things, we can take a minute to celebrate the little things. We can feel excitement every time we see something we love – a friend, a child, a walking path, an eagle. It‘s a great thing to practice until it becomes a habit!