15. Awe And Wonder. Find More Of It!

and share it!

Last Friday, I heard that the Aurora Borealis would likely be visible in the Pacific Northwest. Often when I’ve heard this before, it means in the middle of the night or only from far away from the city. So, I had low expectations that I would even see them. But also, it’s been a lifelong dream to see them. I did once sort-of see them in Alaska on a cruise. But, they weren’t as marvelous as I had seen in pictures. They were very faint. So, I have often felt that I haven’t really seen them fully yet.

I learned in the evening last Friday, that the peak viewing might be around 11pm. Well… that was certainly past my normal bedtime, but a little more do-able compared to the middle of the night! After I put the girls to bed (Jeremy and Frederick were away on a camping trip), I was lounging around trying to decide whether to go to bed early and get extra sleep, or if I should try to stay awake to see if I could see the lights. A friend and I exchanged texts back and forth sharing in our debate as to whether to stay up or not.

In my waiting around, I scrolled on Facebook. As I scrolled, my feed was filled with picture after picture of the northern lights from my friends across the country! I wanted that! I decided if I could stay up a bit, it would be worth the possibility of viewing it. I checked a few times outside to see if I could see anything. Nothing. I gave it until around 11pm. A little after 11pm, I went to the window to see if I could see anything. I couldn’t see much beyond the intense glow of the street lamp in front of our house. I was about to give up, when I spotted a neighbor standing outside in our cul-de-sac looking up at the sky. I thought “it is time!”. I headed outside. I texted my friend with whom I’d been texting earlier and told her to get outside.

Now, it wasn’t like I’ve seen in pictures. And it would have been better in a more dark area. Our street has unreasonably bright street lamps! But, I could see them! They were a greeny-blue-pink whispy cloud-like presence in the sky. We kept saying “look over there, the sky is teal!” and then someone else would say “oh! look over there, it’s pink!”. My neighbors pointed out that our phone cameras were able to take remarkable pictures. It was truly amazing to point my camera to the sky and have it reveal streaks and glows of magenta and teal! When I didn’t hear back from my friend who I texted, I called her. She too had said it was a bucket-list moment and I didn’t want her to miss it. It was incredible! I was soooooo glad I’d stayed up! I was so glad not to miss it!

After a while my phone was at 1% battery and it was late, so I headed inside. But, I couldn’t stay away. After charging my phone a bit, I went out again at around midnight. I was worried it would get more spectacular and I would miss it. But by then, the streaks and glow were gone. Though, when I took photos of the sky, it still revealed a sky of magenta and teal! Wow! A hidden wonder! I went inside soon after and began to reflect. My Facebook feed was now filled with pictures from around Seattle and the Pacific NW. I shared my photos with friends. I appreciated how we were having both individual and shared experiences.

The following day was filled with conversations with people who had seen the lights (or were feeling bummed because they’d missed them). At a gathering with friends a few folks talked about how this had been a bucket-list item for them, and they were chuckling at being in pajamas while experiencing it! This comment has stuck with me! It has had me wondering, What makes a moment full of awe and wonder? Do we have to be dressed and ready? Can it catch us off guard? Does it make it less full of awe and wonder if we’re in our jammies? haha!

Recently, I wrote about how I think it’s important to find places that make me feel small to remind me of the bigness of life! Also on my list is this statement: “Awe and Wonder. Find more of it!”. And I think my friends comments reminded me that awe and wonder don’t have to be the grandest of moments… we can simply be in our jammies, outside and looking at the sky!

Our world is FULL of answers right now. We can ask Siri or Alexa or Google pretty much any questions and they will have the answers. We have more answers to medical ailments, surgeries, procedures, and other medicines to prevent or cure illness. We know a lot about space, we have pictures showing us the great beyond! We can use our phone to know our location. And then we can put in an address and receive directions! The internet has pretty much all the answers (sometimes right and sometimes wrong). It sometimes seems there isn’t anything unknown in the world anymore. Answers are important! And… there is something to be said for the unanswerable, the unexplained or the beyond-my-understanding. We do have scientific answers for the Northern Lights, to be sure. And, yet, isn’t there something a bit magical and unattainable about them!? My neighbor commented as we looked up at the sky “it looks like a portal to heaven”. And… it did. I think there’s something about these lights that point to the beyond, to the Spiritual places in our hearts that cannot be reasoned. They just are felt.

Our world is FULL of division right now. Wars. Politics. Education. Healthcare. Race. Society and our culture. I don’t really think I need to expand more. You know. It’s tense and divided right now, on lots of things. I was struck by the way so many of us were having a shared experience. We need more of that. More moments of awe shared together to come together over our sameness, not our differences.

The morning after, I reflected and shared this post after viewing the lights, “I believe in my own life finding moments and places that bring awe and wonder are essential for the soul! And I am just blown away and loving my social feed this morning! Sooooooo many pictures of the northern lights! From the east coast, to the mid west and to this Pacific Northwest home. I truly believe that we allllll need more moments of awe and wonder! And…. We certainly as a country and as a world need more community shared moments like this.”

After this experience I think I might add to my original statement…

“Awe and wonder. Find more of it. Share it”

Reflection:

• When have you had a moment of awe and wonder? Were you alone or was it a shared experience?

• What do you think makes a moment full of awe and wonder?