Awe is a feeling we have when we encounter the monumental or immeasurable. We experience a sudden shrinking of the self, yet a rapid expansion of the soul.*
Nick Cave

In silent companionship with the life of the Galapagos, I had come to the conclusion that our personal identity, which we think is based on our beliefs and opinions, is actually more of a function of our ability to pay attention to the world around us. If we had very little in the way of attention for the world, then we actually had very little in the way of real existence.**
David Whyte

I had just read these words when
it was time to pop my wife into work because
I needed the car to get to my
volunteering in a university one town over …
And there it was,
A gentle giant sky with
clouds painted in soft oranges and mauves, and, when
a break appeared between the buildings and trees,
A molten bank of clouds wearing pale yellow and cream,
Embracing the newly born sun.

*Nick Cave’s The Red Hand Files blog: #157;
**David Whyte’s Crossing the Unknown Sea.