May Oliver in Evidence via Brain Picking’s Literary Jukebox
I’m on the mend from a cold but a little sore from filing taxes. The weekend was beautiful and productive but for some reason I’m not starting this week feeling refreshed or eager to start anew. As I work through those sticky feelings, I am reminded of a video that was recently shared with me. It’s about two elderly women who fly for the first time. The raw emotions they experience – joy, fear, fascination – is beautiful and heartwarming.
In the article, Watching these two old women fly for the first time is pure gold, the author, Jesus Diaz, reminds us that there is still wonder in the world, though we often fail to see it because we’ve long since taken it for granted; diminished to the the common and ordinary. Everything from airplanes to deep sea diving. Bird migrations to the Northern Lights. There is so much wonder in the world and yet we overlook so much of it.
It wouldn’t be terribly practical to wonder about it all. We wouldn’t get much done. But perhaps if we allow ourselves a moment each day to wonder about what’s around us, we’ll be better for it. Maybe in those moments, someone like me can learn to let go of sticky feelings and be renewed.
If you need a dose of wonder this week, might I recommend:
Deaf woman hearing for the first time
Bjork explaining how televisions work
Just about any podcast from Radiolab
Or any article from Brain Pickings
