Wow! Receptivity. Gratitude. Peak. Space. Glory. Awe within Gratitude. Wow! Awe. Glory. Receptivity. Space. Peak.
Friends, I do not feel especially Wow! Tonight. I’m not inclined to join the ranks of the distance defiers and gather ‘round a bonfire. Unlike the legendary, miraculous Lag B’Omer lifting of the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples so many centuries ago, our plague is still going strong.
In the coming hours of this special Omer day, during which we rise from the semi-mourning that characterizes the rest of this 7 week period, my challenge will be to make Space for an unexpected experience of Awe. I will have to tend to the fire inside, and see how brightly I can burn.
I am not among those who believe that the age of miracles is a distant, possibly fantastical memory. I am a here-and-now miracle believer. That is not to say that I think that the first NY Times banner that pops up on my phone in the morning will announce that the virus has been conquered (although that would be really cool). My experience of miracles is much smaller scale, and involves keeping an open mind - being Receptive to seeing extraordinary-ness in ordinary-ness, in being willing to get out of my own way and try doing something differently, even (and especially) if I have no idea what that looks like.
I am Open to Awe. I am deciding to expect a miracle. I’ll let you know how it turns out. :-)