Welcome back! I hope you found time over this break to lean into a sense of rest and restoration. I hope time took on a different shape, and you lost yourselves in books or conversations with loved ones. I hope you had time to look inwards, as there was so much tumult that has happened in these past few weeks throughout the world. I hope you spent some time away from the news and doomscrolling, as it can overwhelm the senses. I hope you got to spend time in nature, watching the natural world in wonder, appreciating its different tempo. One morning over this break I went for a hike with my family in the snowy woods, it reminded me of the famous Robert Frost poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. This is a poem I remember singing in 5th grade music class and as I tried to relive my childhood and teach my daughter, I reflected about what it means to pause and watch with wonder, to take a few moments to slow down and appreciate the beauty of our surroundings.
In our fast-paced world it feels hard to keep up with everything on our calendars and our to-do lists. I know many of you double or triple book yourselves throughout the day. Simply reminding ourselves to pause and appreciate moments of wonder may not be enough in today’s attention economy. I wonder what it would look like to schedule in moments of wonder and spiritual practice. Can you block an hour a week for spiritual practice - prayer, meditation, contemplation, immersing yourself in nature, sitting with music or art, journaling, etc. In the midst of the chaos of the world build in time for wonder, “to watch [the] woods fill up with snow”, for a deep breath. These habits help shift our mindset and the way we look at the rest of our lives, they can help imbue wonder and peace into our lives.
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.