Blue skies have returned as well as the most incredible full moon. What a wonderful sight to be greeted by upon waking.
When that little wispy cloud drifted across the moon it felt like the beginning of a vampire movie. Even though I was alone in the kitchen I said aloud “look at the moon!” which put me in mind of a Maggie Smith poem, Poem Beginning with a Retweet which she wrote about on her Substack Dear Life recently.
It’s a poem that celebrates noticing the small moments of awe in the everyday. As well as the innate human desire to share them with others and how, when we stop doing that, we lose something precious.
“If you drive past horses and don’t say horses
you’re a psychopath.”
Happily I still always shout horses when I see horses, as well as sheep, goats, cows, and on one very memorable occasion in Canada - bear! Although, if you don’t shout out bear when you see one in the wild, you really have lost all interest in the world!
The small daily moments of awe were why I began this Substack, in an effort to look for them, capture them, and share them. As Helen Garner writes, in her lovely piece in The Guardian on happiness.
“So what is Happiness anyway. . .I’m not going to spend what’s left of my life hanging round waiting for it. I’m going to settle for small, random stabs of extreme interestingness –”
So many small moment of interestingness this week. Here are a few:
The glorious ice moon. Both in it’s dramatic fullness in a coal black sky and outshone by the sun and fading away in the pinkish, blue tones of dawn.
A women carrying baguettes as if they were a bouquet of flowers, so many she could hardly see though them.
Tulips at the market with delightful frayed edges
The ride of the valkyries busting from the radio when I turned on the Classic FM.
This quote from Yo Yo Ma on the Spark and Fire podcast
I honor something that’s precious to you, and you honor something that’s precious to me. It’s the way to start a conversation, a collaboration, and a big creative vision.
What’s precious to you?
Loved it! Also, “if you don’t shout out bear when you see one in the wild, you really have lost all interest in the world!” 🤣🤣🤣🐻😳