Dear Rosana Thank you for your posts I’ve been reading for a while through emails and only recently worked out how to comment via app. Have you read Phosphorescence by Julia Baird - on awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark - it’s not about current times but very appropriate - she lives near me on the Australian coast - there a lot of awe to be found by the sea.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Ali! I have not read that book, I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation! There is indeed a lot of awe in the sea; I love going to it when I can (we're not far here from the Northern California coast).
It's one of the reasons that I love our yard. Even in the winter, we see goldfinches and woodpeckers at our feeders most of the day, watch the sun move through the tree branches, and kids skate on the hockey rink my neighbor clears on the lake.
Another wonder-full post, Rosana. I try and grab some wonder every day. When I walk around our current tree-lined neighborhood in Pasadena, I notice how the bark texture and patterning on each and every tree is different, like an arboreal fingerprint or snowflake. I crack up at the goofiness and innocence of little kids, and the hyperactivity and athleticism of squirrels. Everyday wonder. But the pursuit of happiness? No thank you. Happiness comes and goes, along with sadness and despair and all the rest. To be happy all the time would be less than fully alive. As I like to say when asked if I'm a glass half-full or half-empty kind of guy, I reply, "there is no glass" or "the glass is always full."
It is posts like this one that make me feel better, in the midst of my aging mind and body, but with the resonance oF your posts, dear daughter1
Thank you!!
Dear Rosana Thank you for your posts I’ve been reading for a while through emails and only recently worked out how to comment via app. Have you read Phosphorescence by Julia Baird - on awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark - it’s not about current times but very appropriate - she lives near me on the Australian coast - there a lot of awe to be found by the sea.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Ali! I have not read that book, I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation! There is indeed a lot of awe in the sea; I love going to it when I can (we're not far here from the Northern California coast).
It's one of the reasons that I love our yard. Even in the winter, we see goldfinches and woodpeckers at our feeders most of the day, watch the sun move through the tree branches, and kids skate on the hockey rink my neighbor clears on the lake.
That sounds dreamy! We're in a much more urban area, but on the other hand, that makes our humble little backyard a real oasis.
There are awesome things all around if you look for them. We do have to remember to look, though!
That is so true, Agnes! It's all too easy to forget.
This is an excellent essay! Thank you, thank you.
Thank YOU!!
Another wonder-full post, Rosana. I try and grab some wonder every day. When I walk around our current tree-lined neighborhood in Pasadena, I notice how the bark texture and patterning on each and every tree is different, like an arboreal fingerprint or snowflake. I crack up at the goofiness and innocence of little kids, and the hyperactivity and athleticism of squirrels. Everyday wonder. But the pursuit of happiness? No thank you. Happiness comes and goes, along with sadness and despair and all the rest. To be happy all the time would be less than fully alive. As I like to say when asked if I'm a glass half-full or half-empty kind of guy, I reply, "there is no glass" or "the glass is always full."