Awe in the Everyday

I have always loved learning about myself.

Sometimes, I’ve been so clueless… I can use all the help I can get.

When I was in college, I used an interest inventory to figure out what my major should be. I read books like What Color is Your Parachute? and Do What You Love and The Money Will Follow to explore my true calling.

Last summer, the Sidetracked Sisters all explored the concept of spirit animals using an online quiz

Now, it’s time to think about which positive emotion I feel most often. How do you answer such a question? With a test… of course!

So, we all turned to Idrtests.com. Please try it! In the search bar in the top right, type in “positive emotions” and answer the questions.

My top emotion was awe.

Yup. As we talked about our results, it was fun to realize how this little quiz perfectly captured the essence of each of our personalities.

Awe. What is that? In my experience, it’s when I walk with my dogs in the early morning. I gaze at the stars and marvel at the crispness of the air. I love the mist in the fields and the sound of the lone screech owl calling in the silence before the sun rises.

If I walk later in the morning, I love wandering through the fields near the Conservation Club. I notice the sound of the dogs’ paws on the gravel path, search for Monarch caterpillars on milkweed, and stop to admire Painted Lady butterflies fluttering and landing on wildflowers. Further down the path, I marvel at the Compass Flowers, the Goldenrod, or the dew glistening on spider webs.

I find joy in watching my dogs frolic, pouncing on unseen critters or paddling in the clear waters of the bay. It always makes me laugh how they wait to shake the water off until they’re standing right next to me.

I delight in dandelions and the perfection of a bright blue morning sky. On other days, I search for patterns or animals in cloud formations. It’s as if I’m looking at the world through a photographer’s lens, capturing perfect moments. (I actually have dozens, maybe hundreds, of photos of trees, flowers, water, rocks, and weeds.)

So, why awe? I think it’s because life constantly amazes me. Whether in the grandeur of a sunrise or the tiniest detail of a flower petal, the world is full of wonder, and I’m lucky enough to see it everywhere I go. And maybe, just maybe, the real lesson is that awe doesn’t need to be something grand or monumental—it’s in the small, everyday moments that make life extraordinary.

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