The Wonder of a New Perspective

If you’re not in awe you’re not paying attention.
Lyrics from “Awe”
by Lisa Ferraro & Erika Luckett

I think of music mostly. There is always a song in my head and it usually relates in some way to what is happening in my world at the moment. This week has been no different… especially yesterday. The song in my head a lot this week has been “Awe” by Lisa Ferraro and Erika Luckett.

In it the line above becomes the refrain. That is what was ringing in my mind yesterday as I had another opportunity to explore Kauaʻi with my eyes wide open and with childlike abandon. The day started with yoga on the beach, then lei making, a wonderful luncheon at the beautiful home of Carla and Perry Watson in Hanalei… then a sunset tour of the north shore. What I was moved and inspired by was not only the breathtaking beauty, but also the new perspectives I was offered on so many sights that I had seen before.

Rita and Patrick lived in this area the first few years of time here. When I would come for previous sacred journey experiences, this is where I stayed. I guess I hadn’t ever before noticed the albatrosses that were everywhere when I visited before. This time, as we travelled along our tour path in golf carts, they seemed to be everywhere. This is a place where they come to nest. Why hadn’t I noticed before… I wasn’t paying attention. Now I am in awe.

Another awesome sight was to see Queen’s Bath from the top of the cliffs above it. I have hiked down there (despite advisories to stay away) in past years, but this was a much better view of the entire outcropping of igneous rock and the sinkhole that makes up the “bath.” It is very dangerous in the winter when the ocean current combined with the tide heighten the potential for unpredictable waves which have swept many out to sea and killed more than 30 people over the years.

Having this new perspective on Queen’s Bath, though, from high above and complete safety was a great experience.

We spoke a lot last night upon completion of the sunset tour about the nature of childlike wonder. To be in childlike wonder is not to act like children. Childlike wonder can be a lifelong experience when we realize it is about how we approach life. I have had my eyes opened a little bit more and have been able to lay down some of the heaviness of “adulting” that weighs me down in life. The irony in this is that while I experience childlike wonder I am engaged in one of the most “adult” things one can do… that is buy a house.

In what way might you tour an area you think you know and see it with new eyes? Pay attention to something in a new way today. Let yourself experience with gratitude and awe. Be someone who sees the good in everything… just like a child.