"I’ve learned that amazement is less of a personality trait and more of a muscle. It grows with use. In fact, it requires use to stay healthy." Good to know, because if it were the first, we would just assume we have it or we don't and can't do anything about it, but the second; it's in our hands to go out and exercise that priviledge! This is such a wonderful essay, Sydney!
Thank you, Don! So true - I was also really grateful to realize I didn’t just “lose” it, but could remember it and practice it and experience it again :) Whew!
So true and thank you for the introduction to Sydney's gorgeous writing and photography, Don. Always delighted to meet fellow Nature lovers and hope you both have a wonderful day.
Sydney, My goal is to encourage people to exercise the muscle of amazement. Slow down - see - It is a world filled with awe, and we let it go by unnoticed. Cut from the same clothe, D
Similar mission here.....trying to get people to embrace slowing down as a way to go about life, solving problems, and being more thorough. Seeing, having a sense of wonder, being amazed....all of this plays into it...and gets lost if you rush through life.
YESSS! True, the more of us with this mindset spread the word - the more people will understand the value of slowing down and enjoying life instead of seeing life as a race.
Thank you, Lois! That's one of my all-time favorites as well :) The hummingbirds are frequent visitors each year - and yet, I rarely get a photo that is just right. As you said, they are so fast, their wings a blur, it's quite rare for me to be set up in just the right lighting and position - luckily, any time spent trying is completely enjoyable no matter the photo-outcome! 🤣
"A person who is curious, and then amazed, becomes a person who cares. A person who cares, connects. A person who connects, cultivates."
This is so simple and so important. Indeed a prescription for the betterment of the world. I enjoyed reading this essay a lot, Sydney :) Looking forward to more!
What a beautiful post, thank you, Sydney. Nature truly is amazing in a myriad of wonderful ways! ! I was introduced to you Don Boivin and delighted to have found you. Thank you, Don, I hope you both have a lovely day.
I'm so glad I found this ode to the love of nature. I am so sorry for your old friend who could not find it in her soul to respond to a cardinal. But your lovely tribute must have inspired a few "Ahh" moments among your readers.
💕I'm so glad you found it, too, Diane! Yes, she was a cautionary tale in a lot of things, not the least of which was what it looks like to be so caught up in materialism that you can only appreciate "nature" in the form of an adventure excursion. Yeesh. But yes, it was quite fun to write, and it's been even more fun to receive some enthusiastic responses :)
I love the expression "prone to amazement"! I became prone to amazement as a result of spending a year of taking and posting photos ages ago now, but it made me really *notice* things and l've never stopped noticing and being excited by what l find. Ooh! Intricate seed pod! Oooh! Tiny mushroom! OMG! Wombat poo! 😄 (l'm Australian). Life is so much rewarding this way.
I relate to that so much! I spent a year of daily photo-journaling as well, and was absolutely changed - I recommend any kind of daily-noticing practice to anyone anytime I get the chance :)
And ohhhhh, the wombat poo, I laughed and immediately realized I have to share a poo story with you, too! When we first arrived here in Maine (northeast corner of the US, in the forest, near the coast), almost all the flora and fauna were new to us and we were constantly identifying things. We were out on the farm one day when we came across these little flower-shaped pellets, and we were like, "It kind of looks like poo. But it can't be poo, because it's flower-shaped. What can it possibly be?" It turns out, we have a giant silk moth here called Promethea, and the caterpillars produce flower-shaped poo! I've really never recovered 🤣 and am tickled at the chance to share this story outside my family!💕
Haha. Pleased to have given you the opportunity to share! I thought wombats' cubed shaped scat was pretty noteworthy, but flower-shaped is extraordinary.
So uplifting, Sydney! I learned something new today— amazement is a muscle. Thank you! Last week, I noticed during my walk that the cherry blossom trees around the corner were starting to bloom. I stopped and stared in amazement. Six days later, we drove by and the blossoming had accelerated— amazing!! I can’t wait to see their progress and witness their full bloom. Just wanted to share that with you!
Thank you for sharing your cherry blossom story - so beautiful! I feel the same way each year when our apples bloom - when you stop to think about, and watch it unfold, the entire process from bud to blossom is just so amazing :)
I consider curiosity as a vital personality trait...Being curious about the things around you, about the people you interact with, about other cultures, about yourself, about nature. You never run out of things to think, or do or talk about, or question and listen to if you are curious and have a sense of wonder.
So true, I absolutely agree! Thank you for sharing :) I'm glad you stopped by - I've just subscribed to Un-Rush and look forward to your essays on the power of slow!
just stopped by your gallery. Nice work! My husband is a professional photographer. And I created a photography academy organizing photo workshops (not photographing myself, I bring in the experts). So I am very much in love with and connected to photography -- and I guess we are on the same page with photography being such a great tool to slow down and notice things and savor moments.
Thank you! I agree - I picked up a camera to capture things that amazed me - and then also found that walking around with a camera made me see and notice things in new ways. It’s that balance, though, because then you see something great and don’t have your camera, and you have to remember to just enjoy it instead of wishing you were making images! 🤣
or....you "take" the picture in your head...where it stays....and can be "pulled" out and be referenced to whenever, in any way one wishes. By noticing things and looking at them more thoroughly, without a camera, we "capture" the thing/the scene/the face with our mind.
Beautiful hummingbird photo! And I love the Cardinal story. This past weekend we were amazed by watching Ruddy Ducks bobbing on the lake, storm clouds closing in, and a sleepy toad peeking out from its burrow.
Lovely. I was amazed by all the different shapes, colours, textures of moss, lichens, and fungal spots growing all over our apple trees branches and trunk today. I've seen it before but today it just seemed to grab my attention, dripping with tiny globes of water on a drizzly, foggy day.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful moment - that's one of my absolute favorite things about amazement, the way a familiar sight can easily become amazing all over again! And droplets are excellent amazement-enhancers 💕
I was thinking at the time just how amazing and gorgeous and wonderful it all was... and wishing I had someone to share it with that would understand. Glad you enjoyed my share. :)
A shimmer! Oh my goodness. I LOVE THAT. I'm coming out of my own cotton-packed time, so this post is quite meaningful as I get back into my writing. Thank you.
"I’ve learned that amazement is less of a personality trait and more of a muscle. It grows with use. In fact, it requires use to stay healthy." Good to know, because if it were the first, we would just assume we have it or we don't and can't do anything about it, but the second; it's in our hands to go out and exercise that priviledge! This is such a wonderful essay, Sydney!
Thank you, Don! So true - I was also really grateful to realize I didn’t just “lose” it, but could remember it and practice it and experience it again :) Whew!
So true and thank you for the introduction to Sydney's gorgeous writing and photography, Don. Always delighted to meet fellow Nature lovers and hope you both have a wonderful day.
Oh, good, I’m glad you found your way here, Sue! Sydney, I told Sue about your blog this morning. She is a fellow nature lover and nature writer. 💚🌲
Thanks so much for the recommendation - so glad to be connected with Sue :)
Sydney, My goal is to encourage people to exercise the muscle of amazement. Slow down - see - It is a world filled with awe, and we let it go by unnoticed. Cut from the same clothe, D
Yes! It’s a message that bears repeating, from as many voices as can say it! :)
Similar mission here.....trying to get people to embrace slowing down as a way to go about life, solving problems, and being more thorough. Seeing, having a sense of wonder, being amazed....all of this plays into it...and gets lost if you rush through life.
Claudia, Thank you for reaching out. Together we do what we can. D
YESSS! True, the more of us with this mindset spread the word - the more people will understand the value of slowing down and enjoying life instead of seeing life as a race.
I especially like the photo of the hummingbird. Beautiful. Amazing as well, given how fast their wings flutter back and forth!
Thank you, Lois! That's one of my all-time favorites as well :) The hummingbirds are frequent visitors each year - and yet, I rarely get a photo that is just right. As you said, they are so fast, their wings a blur, it's quite rare for me to be set up in just the right lighting and position - luckily, any time spent trying is completely enjoyable no matter the photo-outcome! 🤣
"A person who is curious, and then amazed, becomes a person who cares. A person who cares, connects. A person who connects, cultivates."
This is so simple and so important. Indeed a prescription for the betterment of the world. I enjoyed reading this essay a lot, Sydney :) Looking forward to more!
Thank you so much, so glad to connect with you here!
What a beautiful post, thank you, Sydney. Nature truly is amazing in a myriad of wonderful ways! ! I was introduced to you Don Boivin and delighted to have found you. Thank you, Don, I hope you both have a lovely day.
Thank you, Sue! So nice to meet you here, and looking forward to sharing lots of wonderful nature moments with you :)
I'm so glad I found this ode to the love of nature. I am so sorry for your old friend who could not find it in her soul to respond to a cardinal. But your lovely tribute must have inspired a few "Ahh" moments among your readers.
💕I'm so glad you found it, too, Diane! Yes, she was a cautionary tale in a lot of things, not the least of which was what it looks like to be so caught up in materialism that you can only appreciate "nature" in the form of an adventure excursion. Yeesh. But yes, it was quite fun to write, and it's been even more fun to receive some enthusiastic responses :)
I love the expression "prone to amazement"! I became prone to amazement as a result of spending a year of taking and posting photos ages ago now, but it made me really *notice* things and l've never stopped noticing and being excited by what l find. Ooh! Intricate seed pod! Oooh! Tiny mushroom! OMG! Wombat poo! 😄 (l'm Australian). Life is so much rewarding this way.
I relate to that so much! I spent a year of daily photo-journaling as well, and was absolutely changed - I recommend any kind of daily-noticing practice to anyone anytime I get the chance :)
And ohhhhh, the wombat poo, I laughed and immediately realized I have to share a poo story with you, too! When we first arrived here in Maine (northeast corner of the US, in the forest, near the coast), almost all the flora and fauna were new to us and we were constantly identifying things. We were out on the farm one day when we came across these little flower-shaped pellets, and we were like, "It kind of looks like poo. But it can't be poo, because it's flower-shaped. What can it possibly be?" It turns out, we have a giant silk moth here called Promethea, and the caterpillars produce flower-shaped poo! I've really never recovered 🤣 and am tickled at the chance to share this story outside my family!💕
Haha. Pleased to have given you the opportunity to share! I thought wombats' cubed shaped scat was pretty noteworthy, but flower-shaped is extraordinary.
This is one of my favorite things I've ever read! Your amazement oozes through my screen and I love it! 😊❤️
Thank you so much! So happy to share the amazement ✨💕
So uplifting, Sydney! I learned something new today— amazement is a muscle. Thank you! Last week, I noticed during my walk that the cherry blossom trees around the corner were starting to bloom. I stopped and stared in amazement. Six days later, we drove by and the blossoming had accelerated— amazing!! I can’t wait to see their progress and witness their full bloom. Just wanted to share that with you!
Thank you for sharing your cherry blossom story - so beautiful! I feel the same way each year when our apples bloom - when you stop to think about, and watch it unfold, the entire process from bud to blossom is just so amazing :)
I consider curiosity as a vital personality trait...Being curious about the things around you, about the people you interact with, about other cultures, about yourself, about nature. You never run out of things to think, or do or talk about, or question and listen to if you are curious and have a sense of wonder.
So true, I absolutely agree! Thank you for sharing :) I'm glad you stopped by - I've just subscribed to Un-Rush and look forward to your essays on the power of slow!
just stopped by your gallery. Nice work! My husband is a professional photographer. And I created a photography academy organizing photo workshops (not photographing myself, I bring in the experts). So I am very much in love with and connected to photography -- and I guess we are on the same page with photography being such a great tool to slow down and notice things and savor moments.
Thank you! I agree - I picked up a camera to capture things that amazed me - and then also found that walking around with a camera made me see and notice things in new ways. It’s that balance, though, because then you see something great and don’t have your camera, and you have to remember to just enjoy it instead of wishing you were making images! 🤣
or....you "take" the picture in your head...where it stays....and can be "pulled" out and be referenced to whenever, in any way one wishes. By noticing things and looking at them more thoroughly, without a camera, we "capture" the thing/the scene/the face with our mind.
Thanks so much for subscribing!!!! I appreciate it. Looking forward to read your work as well.
Just fantastic, what an uplifting read (apart from the Red Cardinal story, though there’s hope there too). Thank you.
Thank you! Agreed, the Red Cardinal story always makes me sad ~ but it's also a little backdrop for the hope of how things might be :)
Beautiful hummingbird photo! And I love the Cardinal story. This past weekend we were amazed by watching Ruddy Ducks bobbing on the lake, storm clouds closing in, and a sleepy toad peeking out from its burrow.
Thank you! Thanks for sharing your amazing moments - I am amazed imagining them :) Oh my goodness, sleep toads are the absolute grumpy-cutest!🤣💕
Lovely. I was amazed by all the different shapes, colours, textures of moss, lichens, and fungal spots growing all over our apple trees branches and trunk today. I've seen it before but today it just seemed to grab my attention, dripping with tiny globes of water on a drizzly, foggy day.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful moment - that's one of my absolute favorite things about amazement, the way a familiar sight can easily become amazing all over again! And droplets are excellent amazement-enhancers 💕
I was thinking at the time just how amazing and gorgeous and wonderful it all was... and wishing I had someone to share it with that would understand. Glad you enjoyed my share. :)
Aw yay! I am a huge fan of tree-trunk-microbiomes, and am happy to know there’s two of us! 🤣
A shimmer! Oh my goodness. I LOVE THAT. I'm coming out of my own cotton-packed time, so this post is quite meaningful as I get back into my writing. Thank you.
Isn’t it perfect? I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that, and I’m glad you’re back to writing - your newsletter’s lovely 💕
Thank you so much, Sydney. That means a lot.❤️
What a wonderful post. Thank you.
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Such a lovely post. Amazement is such a joyful state, and one that too few of us inhabit often enough.
Thank you, so true, thanks for being amazed with me!