Dreaming of Silver Roses

I listened to an audio lecture yesterday about G.K. Chesterton. Alan Watts says that one of the most wonderful character traits of Chesterton was his ability to find utter joy and amazement in the common place. A touch of the divine in what others see every day like a the wonder, curiosity, and exploration of a child.It is a special kind of enlightenment to have this feeling that the usual, the way things normally are, is odd—uncanny and highly improbable. G. K. Chesterton once said that it is one thing to be amazed at a gorgon or a griffin, creatures which do not exist; but it is quite another and much higher thing to be amazed at a rhinoceros or a giraffe, creatures which do exist and look as if they don’t.
— Alan Watts, audio lecture series

I still find so much child like wonder in myself that I relate well to Chesterton sentiments. A friend of mine once saw to it that I visit Hamilton Pool in Austin for a hike.

I loved it! I went on and on about fossils, and rock formations, and then we came to the pool itself! The first time I saw the gulf, which I naively considered the ocean, I was in college. I cried. At the North Carolina Zoo, Diallo and I drew a following as we and the kids strolled. People stayed just close enough so that they could hear me ask a million and questions about the plants and animals while my poor husband tried to field them before I fired off a new one in rapid sucession.

Nature isn’t the only thing that fires me up with wonder. My children’s interests and questions can lead from one direct line of thought to a thousand rabbit chases for me. A new book is a narcotic to me. Hearing Diallo laugh, really laugh, is a precious miracle for me (and for those who know my generally straight laced, quite serious husband- the opitomy of the comic straight man you know it would be nothing short of miraculous!). I am totally enthralled with new descriptive phrases – Chamborge Snakeskin Shoes for instance nearly sent me over the edge (And my reaction to it nearly sent my shopping friend there ahead of me!) It isn’t just that I love each of these things but that each time I experience them I am astounded, breathless, find it unbelieveable. We’ve see the gulf now many times and every time it’s a new experience, a new rush, a new breathtaking rush for me.

Life and theology have a favorite common thread in this for me as well. The air of the ridiculous and the constant sense of renewal make what I believe unique.  God makes man. Man fails but in today’s world suceeds in being free from rule. God makes the New Man. The old man becomes renewed through the New Man’s sacrifice that only looks on the outside like failure but really shows us who rules! Ridiculous, right? Ask any who doesn’t share a belief in the story of Christ. If you sit and think about it, the all powerful Creator of the Universe become utterly dependant on a poor, unwed teenager in the middle of a war torn Palestinian country. God-man grows up to die a crimnal’s death naked, homeless,penniless and nearly friendless. He is raised from the dead where he lay in a borrowed grave.This is the hope of this life and the next- pretty crazy.

Our society as a whole has the air of supreme boredom with life. We are nonpulsed for the most part. Science has most mysteries all figured out enough for us to be comfortable. We sit bored to tears with nothing new under the sun. We move from one rush to next. X-games, bungee jumps, theme parks, video game wars, faster cars, more surreal sports, racy news headlines where we follow freaky extreme celebrities, more surreal “reality” tv shows – anything to aliviate the “boredom” with life that we created by the attitude of “been there, done that”. Life isn’t boring, we are. We refuse to be still and study. We refuse to marvel that we ourselves could never do that. Instead we substitute the idea that probably someone somewhere could. We refuse to listen, after all we have the next big business deal to make, PTO meeting to rush to, church softball match to play, and so on. You know wonder and ponder share more than a few letters.                                             

“In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there will never be another just like it again. Today is the point to which all your yesterdays have been leading since the hour of your birth. It is the point from which all your tomorrows will proceed until the hour of your death. If you were aware of how precious today is, you could hardly live through it. Unless you are aware of how precious it is, you can hardly be said to be living at all.”.” Frederick Buechner                                       

Let me say it a different way borrowing from a super writer about the miraculous. The children and I are reading E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web at night. One of my favorite characters thus far who plays a very small role in the book is Dr. Dorian.   

“Oh no,” said Dr. Dorian. ”I don’t understand it. But for that matter I don’t understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said that they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle.” “What’s miraculous about a spider’s web?” said Mrs. Arable. “I don’t see why you say a web is a miracle- it’s just a web.” “Ever try to spin one?” asked Dr. Dorian Mrs. Arable shifted uneasily in her chair. “No,” she replied. “But I can crochet a doily and I can knit a sock.” “Sure,” said the doctor. “But somebody taught you, didn’t they?”  “My mother taught me.” “Well, who taught a spider? A young spider knows how to spin a web without any instructions from anybody. Don’t you regard that as a miracle?”  

…I’m going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that’s honest and real until I’m truly amazed
I’m going to feel all my emotions
I’m going to look you in the eyes
I’m going to listen and hear until it’s finally clear and it changes our livesThere are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is realAnd I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

Oh the glory of God is man fully alive…
 
excerpt from “I Just Showed Up” by Sara Groves and Joel Hanson

(album Add to the Beauty) 

I will say it again…wonder and ponder share more than just a few letters.

Filed under: life, nature, wonder on February 21st, 2008