I hope this is visible. It's not as amazing as it was in real life, but I hope it's kind of evident. It's a spider's web--a really big one--that I happened to see on a neighbor's lamppost a few days ago. I don't know if I would have seen it if we hadn't passed by at just the moment we did. The sun was setting, so the light caught it just right so that I could see the details of this exquisite (and creepy) web and all the things caught in it. In fact, as I tried to get a good angle, the light dropped enough that I almost lost the chance to get the photo.
I've been reading a book called Awe. It talks about the benefits of feeling awe, and the ways we might find it in our lives. Some interesting things are that feelings of awe actually improve mood and cognitive abilities! And in some ways, I think having the gospel seems to provide us with more opportunities to see awe--or maybe it's just that we might be more open to it?
One of the interesting points I found was a reminder that we often are unaware of the things around us that can bring us wonder and awe. That we are lost in thought, have forgotten to look, or are distracted by concerns or devices or whatever. The author pointed out that, for children, everything is new, so they find awe in the world all the time. If we could be like children a bit--sound familiar?--we might also find awe more in our lives. I know that when I go on walks with my grandchildren, they see a million wonders in the world that I might miss. Bugs and cracks in sidewalks that look like rivers. They remind me to be aware and in awe of my surroundings. Awe can be found in human behavior, too: courage or kindness, for example. In music and art. But we have to put ourselves in the positions to find it and then we have to quiet down and look. I want that in my life. I don't want to miss what can bring awe--even if it's a creepy spider's web big enough like it could catch a bird but fragile and delicate and sparkling in the evening light, visible really for only a few moments. How cool is that?
