Awe in Nature

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

We were at our favorite beach this weekend and it had the intended restorative effect after being sick for a couple of weeks. I had no idea of the timing when I booked the AirBnB months ago, of course. Don’t you just love it when life works out?

When I was beachcombing with my kids, five-year-old Mr. D ran up to me to ask, “Can I keep this stick?”

I said, “But we already have collected a couple today.”

And he answered, “Yes, but this one is so interesting. It’s covered in stuff.”

I laughed and agreed it was unique.

The back of our car has a section for interesting sticks, shells, and rocks because there’s something to love about each. One stick is one half covered with bark and the other half bare. Another is flat. And by contrast, Mr. D also really likes the one that’s perfectly round.

Miss O does the same thing. It used to be with rocks until she filled her pockets up so much that her shorts would sag. Now its tiny sea shells.

But I go along with it because I’m a sap for connecting to nature in all its beautiful variations.

In his book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, UC Berkley professor of psychology Dacher Keltner writes about the goodness that comes from the awe we can experience in nature:

“In fact, it’s hard to imagine a single thing you can do that is better for your body and mind than finding awe outdoors. Doing so leads to the reduced likelihood of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and cancer.”
– Dacher Keltner in Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life

When put that way, I guess we’ll stick (pun intended) with the restorative time on the beach collecting little bits of nature that help remind us of the awe all around. It works for me!

(featured photo is mine of our latest collection of sticks)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I co-host a author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson. To tune in, search for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or Pocketcasts (and subscribe) or click here. Or the YouTube channel features videos of our interviews. Please subscribe!

My other projects include work as a CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), speaking about collaboration and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association, and my book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s indelible spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.

88 thoughts on “Awe in Nature”

  3. I love that you’ve embraced this and I really, really get it because I still am a nature collector like this, rocks, shells, sticks, you name it. close or far, these are. my treasures, my souvenirs. when teaching, many of the kids did this, some were content making ‘museums’ of them where we were outside, organizing them in lines, and showing them to the other kids and leaving them, others filled their pockets and boots and bags to take home. do you know of the artist Andy Goldsworthy? his is a brilliant natural artist, still alive who creates art with nature. he finds things in nature, makes designs and sculptures with them and photographs them, leaving them behind to ‘go back to nature’ where he found them. you can find his photos online and videos everywhere. he has some stone walls that are permanent in places around the world. we did projects each year in the sand or in the woods and the kids really got into it and we’d name the designs, take a picture, let them go back into nature and make a book of the pictures or have a little art show. they loved it. might be a project your kids would enjoy

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      1. he’s amazing and one of the highlights is that he does not use any glue or staples or anything to attach things, only water, woven things together, laid down in the rain, and then moved and left his ‘shadow’ or ice, if working with snow, used his. hands to melt things together, or the best – his saliva! the kids loved that.

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  5. Go, Mr D and Miss O. Our younger son collected sticks and all manner of gifts of nature when he was young, and as a man not much younger than you his love of nature hasn’t waned one bit. We would all benefit from spending more time listening to and learning from nature. Glad you are feeling better, it sure makes a difference.

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  6. Oh the sticks! Youngest Alison used to collect a stick whenever we went camping. She would carry them around as we hiked and I think they became her companions when her brother and sister had had enough of her! At some point the kids named a stick and I honestly cannot recall how they came up with the name- but now I have to ask them. Anyway- Bob Barly Carly was around for years and I believe a mini version of Bob actually ended up in Alisons special treasures box that she took with her as an adult 🙂

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  10. Awe in nature….I love that. I found a small shell in the bottom of my drawer the other day and re-experienced a week of walking the beach when our kids were young.

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  11. My friend has a dog that collects sticks. When they go for a walk he finds one he likes and brings it home and leaves it in a pile by the door. he guards his pile of sticks with his life. Dogs know what is important.

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    1. That’s so funny, Darlene! One of our neighbors has a “stick library” like the little free book libraries around but for dogs. I hadn’t thought some dog might resent sharing… 🙂

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  12. I LOVE that the back of your car has a designated space for fabulous finds. So good! And Mr. D…he’s not wrong. Every stick is a wonder – especially if it’s covered in ‘stuff’. LOL. 😜

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  14. Having just returned from a week in spectacular British Columbia, I definitely concur with the therapeutic benefits of spending time in nature. And your story about the sticks, rocks and shells made me smile. My daughter Colleen had a rock collection when she was about Mr. D’s age.

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  16. I’m indifferent to sticks but a good interesting stone is a keeper, even at my age. I love that your kids are connecting to nature in their own simple ways.

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  18. Don’t you hate it when darn nature gets in the way!! You want to say no to Mr. D, but nature sticks its head in there and you just have to say, “oh, okay. It’s fine.” Ha, ha. And yes, I love Dacher Keltner’s quote. It really is hard to come up with anything that’s better for us than finding awe in the outdoors!!!!

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  20. Oh you gotta love the essence of Mother Nature! What a nice trip with your kiddos Wynne! Love Dacher Keltner’s mention about the goodness that comes from the awe we can experience in nature. I am always in awe! 😁📸😍💐🌞

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  21. I love that you are sharing your awe with your children. My mom was a huge nature lover and I’m sure that where I get it from, too. I remember when she first visited Palm Springs to see us. She was so fascinated with the desert environment that she put a tumble weed in my husband’s car! He wasn’t too happy about it, but I’m glad you’re relaxed enough to have room in your car for sticks and rocks.

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  23. Love this, Wynne! I remember finding all kinds of neat things as a kid, especially rocks. Sitting here wondering why I wanted to grow up so badly. I could’ve stayed a kid just a little longer. Great memories.💗

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  24. Most kids like to collect things, but they only feel empowered to do so when a parent encourages them. Good on you, Wynne!

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  25. I love and fully support the collection of falling  nature. I occasionally collect pinecones. They are great decoration for plants, and they hold water and close, and open when they’re dehydrated. I find it a beautiful organic way to keep track of my urban jungle.

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  26. You’ve got to love the curiosity and fascination for learning in our kids. It’s so great to cultivate their imagination. Good for you for allowing another stick. 👍🏼

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  27. Nature is truly so healing and restorative and I’m glad you all got to get some healing at your favourite beach.

    I just love that you have a section in your car for all the things the kids find in your nature outing. It says so much about the goodness you prioritize in your life and it shows in how happy your kids are!

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  28. “the goodness that comes from the awe we can experience in nature”

    Absolutely . We had a storm last night and two of the trees had bent over . Spent a few minutes this morning bending them back straight . Felt happy seeing the mud wash off my feet in the shower . our connection to the earth is foundational

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  29. Hi … this put me in mind of part of an inspired dialogue I had recently … ‘Would you want to know what life has in store for you, really? I doubt it, for if there was no mystery to life there would be no invitation to marvel at the mystery of Creation. It is important to cultivate curiosity, wonder and awe for these things lead you into the mystery of life itself. Your life, your purpose, your potential to harmonise with Creation and to come to know God. Not as an idea, or a projection of supreme power in a human form, but as a soft, gentle inner Light, that makes you whole through enfolding you in Love.’

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  31. I love that your kids are impressed enough by those natural things to collect them 😍and I couldn’t agree more with that quote about the benefits of being outside. I also love your support of them collecting 💚

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    1. Thanks, Todd! I guess it’s our way of taking our favorite experiences with us. Maybe over time we’ll remember to take pictures with our hearts. 🙂 ❤

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  38. What a great post Wynne! I am always in awe of nature and I’d be a willing party to Mr. D and Miss O in their appreciation of nature’s beauty. It’s a sticking point for me. See what I did there? 😂😂😂

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