by The Editors
Awe is one of humankind’s most powerful states of being. Studies show it has the ability to strengthen your faith, improve your health—even change your perceptions of time. Most people associate the powerful feeling with extraordinary experiences, but it often appears in the more routine parts of everyday life—a recent study by psychologist Amie Gordon showed that the average person is in awe at least twice a week! Here are all the ways, big and small, that the Guideposts staff experiences awe.
“Nothing fills me with more awe than the night sky. Sitting under the stars makes me feel so small in comparison to the cosmos. But it’s not a bad feeling. It’s incredibly uplifting—like I know where my place is.”
“I’m in awe of what great painters can do. Stand up close to a Sargent, a Van Gogh, a Rembrandt, and you just see blobs of paint. Step back and you see an image. A great artist will show you how many colors there are in the ocean and the sky.”
“I am in awe of the wisdom of Gracie and I aspire to connect with nature as she does.”
“Looking at my kids. I can’t believe I helped make them—a sentiment easier to come by when they’re being smart, funny and obedient then when they’re misbehaving, of course!”
“The sky, particularly at sunset, always makes me feel awe, since it’s always changing. One stand out to me in particular—it happened last year, when I went to Coney Island to think after a stressful day, and the sky really put on a show.”
“Never underestimate the power of a beautiful song. Nothing is more awe-inspiring for me than the emotions that music can elicit from a listener, how series of notes can bring you from sorrow to joy. It’s just incredible.”
“I always feel awe when I am faced with the vastness of creation. Looking out at the seemingly endless ocean. Being in the forest, surrounded by trees. Overlooking the Grand Canyon. Anything that reminds me that I’m both really small, and an important part of this beautiful world.”
“When I see an elderly couple holding hands or saying I love you to one another, I feel awe. It’s a wonderful sight to see. It shows me the power of love— how it can endure.”
“When I witness my kids experience something new, and I realize, ‘Wow, they’ve never see this, felt this, heard this…’ It’s pretty amazing.”
“I cracked open the door of my camp cabin in rural Ontario on the first morning of my vacation. I walked across to Elephant Lake, and watched the mist creep across the pink sunrise. Everything – even the loons – seemed in awe of it.”
Click on a picture to enjoy more inspiring photos and stories.
Click on a picture to enjoy more inspiring photos and stories.
Click on a picture to enjoy more inspiring photos and stories.