Every Moment is Prismatic: The Art of Noticing

Can you recall the last time you experienced something so extraordinary that it literally, positively and absolutely took your breath away? Perhaps it was something you experienced with one of the 5 physical senses - the cozy warmth of a hug from someone special, a sweet melody dancing in your ears and bringing sanctuary to your mind, a food or drink that made your tastebuds erupt in jubilation or curiosity, an aroma in the air that carried you away to a realm you never knew existed, an atmosphere of Humanity and/or Nature you'd never experienced before which enlivened all of your senses. Perhaps it was more of a feeling - a meaningful conversation and a deepening bond, a shared laugh rushing fresh air into your lungs and your heart, a powerful artwork that tugged at your heartstrings and led you to a baptism of tears you didn't know you had, receiving a thoughtful and/or unexpected gift, witnessing a selfless act of kindness and love, achieving a new understanding of yourself at a depth you had not previously been able to reach. The experience of Wonderment comes in many packages, and the aforementioned are only a few that this writer is familiar with. In me, wondrous moments have birthed tears of joy, gratitude, and humility. They led to profound shifts that shook my very foundations and compelled me to re-examine the world as I had once understood it, because those wonderful moments Expanded it. These moments can be anything. It's not a matter of attaining financial freedom or extravagant living to make wonderment and awe regular parts of your existence - it is a matter of Allowing yourself to Notice the dimensions of a phenomenon and/or experience. To become a multi-dimensional witness who is open to perceiving layers and angles of a scene much broader, more complex, and more abstract than our linear scope and familiar narrative would have us properly recognize. To see that every moment is prismatic. Some of my favorite moments of wonderment are as simple as noticing sunlight breaking through clouds to create radiant sunbeams while tie-dying the sky in golds, pinks, purples, reds, blues ; the long-drawn vibrato of a skilled singer expressing their passion for the lyrics of a song, in a way that seems to freeze time ; a kitten 'mewing' and learning how to walk and play and eat ; the smiling eyes of a dog (who will always be a puppy to me) excitedly dancing and prancing around us as my husband and I enter our home after a long workday ; a seemingly orchestrated wind stirring the nearby palm fronds and flowers and leaves, as if to magnify a transcendent connection with someone I feel I've known across lifetimes. Perhaps wonder is less an extraordinary interruption of ordinary life, and more the practice of becoming a multi-dimensional witness to the Treasure and Alchemy it quietly holds.