In Awe

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“Our life experiences will have resonances within our innermost being, so that we will feel the rapture of being alive.” – Joseph Campbell

I frequently divert and delay my family’s morning routine to take a look at the sunrise. This time of year, while it is often grey, there are also so many sunrises that we can witness together since the sun and my kids are getting up at about the same time, even if it means we are going to have to rush a bit to get to school. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably are tired of my sunrise pictures.

But I still persist because I’m not tired of sunrises and my kids are still willing to humor me. A book that just came out on January 3rd of this year is helping me to understand why it matters to me to witness this every day. Awe: The new Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by UC Berkley psychology professor Dacher Keltner talks about the effect of awe in our lives:

“How does awe transform us? By quieting the nagging, self-critical, overbearing, status-conscious voice of our self, or ego, and empowering us to collaborate, to open our minds to wonders, and to see the deep patterns in life.”

Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

Whoa – I want more of that. In fact, if I had to give a reason why I meditate, write, and now podcast – I’d be hard pressed to describe it more perfectly than the quote above.

(I did just throw podcast in to the list above – because I’m launching the Sharing The Heart of the Matter podcast with Vicki Atkinson today. It’s a podcast where we want to focus on people sharing their heart stories – please listen and also if you have one to tell, let me know so we can record it.)

The definition of awe that Dacher Keltner gives is:

“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.”

Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

When he collected personal narratives from people in twenty-six different countries in the world, he and his team distilled down “eight wonders of life, which include the strength, courage, and kindness of others; collective movement in actions like dance and sports; nature; music; art and visual design; mystical encounters; encountering life and death; and big ideas or epiphanies.”

I think of the awe I felt when I was pregnant with Miss O and was writing my book about my dad. He’d died suddenly in a bike accident just the day after I’d finalized my IVF plan to get pregnant. As I took the recordings that I’d made with him, and wrote the book about him that I told him I wanted to write (but thought it would be with him in attendance), I felt the swirl of birth and death every day. I danced in the love of my dad and the life that was within me for all of those nine months.

Then on the night after I finished every last line edit, I went into labor and gave birth to my daughter. In many ways, I gave birth to two things – the book Finding My Father’s Faith and the beautiful Miss O. All of this happened in a way that was far bigger than me. There is much that I can’t name or understand about that experience except to say that I wasn’t alone as I wrote. There were definitely three of us there – me, my dad, and my baby. I was in awe for sure. It’s a beautiful feeling – just like witnessing the sunrise every morning.

(featured photo is mine – the moon and the mountain)

47 thoughts on “In Awe”

  1. Awe is a beautiful thing! You’re wise to take as many shots of the sunrise as you can. We take it’s beauty for granted and we shouldn’t. I can’t wait to listen to the podcast Wynne and Vicki. I’m so excited for you. What a great start. Congratulations!

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  2. Indeed, those experiences are indescribable. Gustav Mahler, the great Jewish/Bohemian composer, said there would be no music if everything could be expressed in words.

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  3. Oh, Wynne, this post gave me chills. The timing of everything extends the realm of mere coincidence… from realizing 18 months earlier that your needed to capture your father’s story, then your father and daughter brushing elbows as one left and the other ended the world, and finally your book and Miss O coming to term at the same time. It’s all so beautiful and heartbreaking and Keltner’s definition is so apt: “Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” ❤️❤️❤️

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    1. Oh, this comment has me in tears as you summarized it so well, Erin. Yes, it’s way beyond coincidence. And I love your phrase “your father and daughter brushing elbows.” That is beautiful!! Thank you for this gift of a comment, my friend!

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  4. Just put this book on my reading list yesterday! I’m not sure just how many times in life I’ve experienced a moment of awe but there is no question when it happens- and I find there are no words but simply the moment and things feel right. I’m saving the podcast for tea time later today- sort of my caffeine break with Wynne and Vicki 😉

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    1. I love your sentence, “and I find there are no words but simply the moment and things feel right.” Yes, it’s ineffable when it happens!

      Glad to be having tea with you today, Deb. I look forward to the time when we can have tea in real life!!

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  5. Hello! Lovely post! The sunrise is such a magical gift ✨ Love what you shared about “awe” in relation to your personal experiences, thank you for sharing.

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  6. If i were a believer in reincarnation (which in fact, I am), I might wonder if the elbow brushing might be a passing of the baton from one life to another. A very beautiful brushing indeed, Wynne.

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    2. I was smiling and nodding at all of the comments, the awe (love the quote), the podcast, just all of it. But what I was FEELING was awe myself, at the thought of Miss O and your dad. Then I came to Erin’s comment, which echoed my sentiments, and then to Julia’s… The way she’s stated that has me tearing up too. I could totally see that baton passing taking place. Such a beautiful thought!

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    2. Including my comment here because I wanted both of you to see: wow, what an awesome podcast. Just wow. Great job, kudos to both of you. Expertly done, professionally put together, but feels like you’re a part of a conversation, a king drive somewhere fun. I’m impressed. Thanks so much for creating and sharing. Gave me lots to think about. Gave me a few laughs too. Awesome!

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  8. What we encounter on a daily basis has so much, Wynne. I think the art is to take a moment, stop and look around. We can spend our lives searching for the things that are already there. Will have a look at the book and the podcast. Thanks for the lovely thoughts to take into the weekend. Have a good one.

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  10. There is something magical in sunsets and sunrises. Make the most of them. I love commuting at the moment as I get to travel, sit back and enjoy seeing the sun rise as I travel.

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  11. The Sages tell us there is no coincidence, that everything is organized and planned. I’ve had a few major events in my life show themselves in very synchronous ways, which showed me to pay extra attention to them. What happened to you is very special, and when you add the synchronicity, wow!

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      1. I guess having been born on all 2s, even down to the hour, predisposed me to looking for those kinds of things, and I notice them instead of brushing them under the rug!

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  13. Wynne, I’ve missed you so much! A new blog, a podcast, and the birth of new things… I’m swooning! You’ve been busy. I can’t wait to check out and listen to your podcast. I don’t get but one bar of service so I’ll have to download it the next time I’m in town. I’m so thankful to have read such an amazing update about your recent adventures

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  15. That quote you shared awe is so true and now I can situate myself in that mindset, it is so true. It quiets the negative self talk and feeds us the positive good stuff.

    One of the first things I do when I wake up is to open the curtains. The days are getting longer again and I do love when the sunrise starts creeping up. And I’ve had a few pink sunrises recently on walks to the bus stop to work and it really does put you in a feeling of awe.

    You can never have enough sunrises!

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