Curating Astonishment
When the soul feels awe....
I’ve spent six days now studying the bluebirds nesting in my yard. I did not have to pay for the tuition either. I wasn’t pressured into signing up and being the early bird.
I made a choice to become intentional. I decided to live with slowness in mind.
I rocked on my front porch every day—multiple times a day—at different times of the day—just watching. Just waiting. Just tending to my inner world while I was watching the outer world.
To slow down my life and to consider the birds became my mantra for six days.
And with that slowing down came a rising sense of astonishment.
It was a dance—not the birds but my growing sense of awe.
It was clumsy some days for me to rock that much. There was a lot of other things I could have done as you know so well. But this became my main thing—to wait and curate astonishment.
I’m so glad I did.
I have felt the sheer penetrating pings and tears of astonishment.
Let me ask a few questions now:
When’s the last time you felt astonishment?
Where were you?
What were you doing?
What were you looking at and listening to?
Let me be frank.
Astonishment rarely happens in the four walls of a church. I don’t think I’ve ever really heard a person tell me their story of being astonished by sitting in a pew inside a four walled building. I might be wrong. But just think about it with me for a few more moments.
So, I’m just thinking about this with you here for a slow moment.
I’m trying to connect the dots for myself and perhaps for a few of you as well.
Read my poem and see where it takes you.
Linger with it for a few days if you can—if you will—if you dare and just see where this one takes you.
And if you find yourself in a field, on a beach, in a forest, at a city park somewhere feeling a little astonished in the next few hours or days, do let me know. I’ll be waiting for your comments and responses.
Sabbath Blessings!
Stephen
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