This is Week 16 of {Project 52} Stay Awake. You are welcome to join in anytime during this year-long mindful living photo project. please upload your photos to our Project 52: Stay Awake Flickr group so we can see what an Awake life means for you. And, if you also use Instagram please use the hashtag #awakeproject13.
Question of the Day — What tiny little miracle are you witnessing this week as you follow your children’s lead to seek out the awe in our world?
One of my absolute favorite aspects of being a mother is the pure joy we get from seeking out awe-inspiring experiences — ordinary moments that truly are magical in the eyes of a child.
We have the potential to live in awe every single day because we are parents.
As long as we are awake and ready to experience it all.
A recent study mentioned on one of my favorite parenting Web sites suggests that people who experience awe are happier. The study even goes as far to say that when we experience awe we “feel more satisfied with our lives, more patient, more willing to help others.”
If awe is all it takes .. we just have to wake up, pay attention and live in each moment fully by surrendering to the magic of childhood unfolding before our eyes.
Because we have the potential to live in awe every single day while raising children.
We experience awe in a pile of ants on the ground.
We see it in the pink sky in the mornings.
We see it munching clover in our backyard.
We see it in the smile of a child when a butterfly lands on her arm.
We hear it in the birds tweeting outside our windows.
We hear it in the eagerness of a boy seeing a fire truck.
We hear it in the words of the music.
We hear it in the pitter pat of the rain drops landing on the metal gutters.
We feel it in the touch of our child as she rubs our backs.
We feel it in our hearts when we hear I love you, Mommy.
We feel it when they climb that tall pole for the first time and slide down.
We live it when big questions require big answers.
We live it when their eyes light up at the wonders of the world.
Photo Credit by Beryl Ayn Young
We live it when we watch them sleep.
We experience awe a million times when we stop to pick up a flower, a stick, a pebble, a nut … notice the shape of the clouds, the way the flowers are blooming and the ferociousness of the storm traveling above our heads.
Awe seems to follow our children around wherever they go like a lost puppy. And our children seem to always take notice.
This week, for Project 52: Stay Awake live in awe, experience awe, seek out awe. Find new ways to experience your life. Look at things with a fresh coat of opportunity, of optimism, of beauty. Try something new. Notice the details.
Photo Tip from Beryl: Get close this week. Seek out the details in your surrounding. Just when you think you’ve gotten close enough, take another step closer. What tiny intricate details can you capture in your world this week? Better yet, why not pass the camera off to your kids this week too. See what they can capture from their vantage point and watch in awe as you you get a glimpse of the world through their eyes.
Question of the Day — What tiny little miracle are you witnessing this week as you follow your children’s lead to seek out the awe in our world?
