Why Awe, Why Now?

wonder holds our gaze when we need holding.

Awe holds the weight of light and darkness. It is both wonder and fear, dread and respect.

Awe motivates.

Awe in the form of art, nature, expansiveness.

In times of trouble we reach for connection, people, faith, music, anything that will ground us in safety, comfort, peace.

Awe lies in these things.

I checked out two books from the library last week. The first won he Pulitzer prize. It’s called Dear America, written by an undocumented immigrant named Jose Antonio Vargas. I want to hear how he holds fear and courage all at once.

That is awe.

The last couple of weeks have felt like a year.

It is January, dead of winter.

It snowed in Florida and the LA Fires are just now seeing rain.

Polar extremes.

---

It is Sunday, I am at a farmer’s market mid conversation. A couple passes by. The robin egg blue of her trench coat catches my eye, then the waist-length box braids, then his sweater, goodness his sweater.

When style speaks volumes.

I stop them to ask for a photo. We exchange info. They are dancers. Their art is even more inspiring than their style. I am reminded—artistry is awe.

---

It is Friday and all looks normal outside. Sunny, cordial.

But I know the world is changing, incendiary.

Hours working behind a screen hips cramped from sitting. A collection of vibrant photos floats into view mid-research. My heart flutters. Beyond the text, the emails, follow ups, and Zoom meetings, this is the awe that stirs.

Home’s comforts, tiny awe tings.

Awe is fuel. It forces us to pay attention. It grounds us in our smallness.

We need awe in these times. It is not escapism.
It’s what drives us forward.

Here’s Merriam Webster’s definition:

Awe (noun)

1. A feeling of respect or reverence mixed with dread and wonder, often inspired by something majestic or powerful.
   

2. The power to inspire dread.
   

3. Dread.
   

4. Dread; great fear mingled with respect. Similar: dread.
   

5. The emotion inspired by something dreadful and sublime; an undefined sense of the dreadful and the sublime; reverential fear, or solemn wonder; profound reverence.
   

6. To fear greatly; to reverence profoundly.
   

   

We need access to awe. Awe can ground us in two things at once: wonder and reverent fear, and we need both to address the multi crisis’s of our times head on.

3 Awe ‘Tings

a short list of awe-inspiring content to help you through your week

🖥️ Debi Tirar Mas Fotos Short Film - If you don’t speak Spanish watch it with subtitles.

🍎 Nueva Yorkinos - living archive of Puerto Ricans in New York

📹 Kids of Immigrants x Nike Collab - calling cards to find home