He was COMPLETELY out of his element.
My friend had told me it was a meditation circle, which would have been uncomfortable enough for this high-energy, class clown of a man, but when the facilitator said "We're going to do some activities that will take you a little out of your comfort zone." I knew he was in for an atypical Taco Tuesday. (and there weren't even tacos!)
We started with a discussion about awe. "Think about a time when you felt awe. What happened? How did you feel?"
Someone mentioned seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland.
Another mentioned a moment when free-diving when he was all alone at 80 feet under water, silent and dark.
Another talked about stopping to admire the majesty of the Redwoods.
Another talked about the early days of their relationship.
I thought about when I'm on my paddle board and a group of stingrays (called a Fever of Stingrays BTW!) "flies" by, moving more gracefully than anything ever could move on land, and everything seems to stop, and I hold my breath without realizing I'm holding my breath, and I am 100% in the moment.
What is your moment of awe?
Then our leader talked about how experiencing...even seeking and choosing moments of awe can have massive positive impact in so many areas.
- Awe experiences are linked to decrease in markers for chronic inflammation (associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and bowel stuff)
- Reduced rumination that's associated with depression
- Helps people get closer to their "authentic" selves
- Expand our perception of time and make us feel less impatient
- Helps recovery from PTSD
- Can make people more generous and cooperative
- Make people more humble and increase pro-social behaviors
- More compassion
- Improved critical thinking abilities
- Increased social connection
So let's look for more of that!!
Yesterday I did a podcast interview on Networking with Gina Glover (Airing on Dancing in the Discomfort Zone podcast on May 28) and Gina told me about how she recently ended a keynote by singing The Glory of Love, sung by Bette Midler in the 1988 movie Beaches. I was in awe as she told me about walking through her audience, handing out hand-folded origami hearts, singing acapella (no backup music) to an audience of 300. (singing is something I'm adding to my keynote experience this fall, so I was transfixed with her retelling of the audience's awe in that moment!)
I was in awe as I watched my friend and fellow Kilimanjaro summiteer LeeAnn Marie Webster absolutely CRUSH her one woman show last weekend. Click here to read her reaction to this amazing accomplishment.
I had a moment of awe as I was Facebook messaging my friend Lisa Corrado who is currently solo hiking the Camino De Santiago (something I also plan to do in the not too distant future!) In that moment, she was out there doing it, and it brought all the gooseflesh to my arms!
And I was in awe of my uncomfortable man-friend who handled his "meditation circle" discomfort with grace and respect (and a delicious post-circle debrief martini...he earned it!).
In my mind, AWE comes with appreciation. Gratitude. Peace. Being in the moment. Mindfulness. All those woowoo things that in the end of the day are really good for us.
So seek them out! Slow down every once in a while and savor a really good bite, a beautiful view, an impressive accomplishment or a really cute kitten video. It will make your life better, and the world a better place.
Go get it Tiger. (and savor it while you're getting it!)
