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Yesterday I shared on Instagram about how sessions with me feel. And what families actually do during our time together. Piggy-backing off of that post, one about letting go, playing with your kids, and loving on your family, I wanted to share something that’s been on my heart a lot lately. 

One of my son’s preschool teachers shared an article from The Washington Post a couple weeks ago. I’ve felt wildly inspired by the idea behind the “power of awe”. It’s fascinating and ties in seamlessly to how I want to live my life, the experiences we want to give our children, and what I want intertwined in the rich experiences I provide for my clients.

It feels like the missing piece I’ve been searching for about the overarching purpose of my sessions and what makes me feel the most at peace each day as a mom. 

“Awe is what we feel when we encounter something vast, wondrous or beyond our ordinary frame of reference. It evokes a sense of mystery and wonder.” (Deborah Farmer Kris for The Washington Post)

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“It makes us curious rather than judgmental. It makes us collaborative. It makes us humble, sharing and altruistic. It quiets the ego so that you’re not thinking about yourself as much.” (Psychologist Dacher Keltner)

Most of us can picture times in our childhood when we felt a sense of awe or times we watched our own children experience it. A few months ago our daughter figured out how to turn the bathroom sink on herself. Watching her face completely light up when discovering that turning the handle meant water started flowing: that was awe. Our oldest noticed just a couple of days ago that he could blow air onto the window and draw in the foggy pane with his finger: that was awe. One of our boys  pointed to the sky and loudly proclaimed “Look!!! The birds are having a race!” when seeing a large flock flying above us: that was awe.

Those are just a few examples, but it’s not about a huge trip and seeing stunning places in the world, though of course it can happen then, too! It can happen anytime and anywhere. And it’s not about it needing to happen daily in extravagant ways. It’s in the simple, quiet, unintentional moments – not in intentional moments that feel forced or planned.

When sharing this with my mom, a memory when my brothers and I were little immediately came to mind. We were on a family trip to Chicago and stayed at The Oxford House. We ran into our hotel room and jumped onto the window sill. We stood in awe looking over the city – the lights, the bustling streets and sidewalks, and my mom vividly remembers watching us experience awe. That’s more of one of those “big” examples, but none of that was planned, she watched it all unfold as they unloaded our luggage. You know how kids will often times stop outdoors, what seems like every time we’re in a rush, to stop and look at something tiny they find on the ground? Maybe a little aunt hill, or a squirrel carrying a nut. That’s awe. Giving them a chance to experience it and not rush it, maybe even joining them or striking up conversations about it afterwards. Those are moments of awe. 

The best part is how we can find and experience it – by slowing down. Allowing time to explore, wander, and flow. By taking a walk or an adventure with no real purpose or final destination. Engaging in process art, open-ended play, musical exploration, and time in nature. Start a conversation and devote a few minutes to really listening and engaging with your children, maybe about something so large and vast that really ignites their curiosity. 

Experiencing awe offers so many benefits for our mental and emotional well-being, too. Finding a moment to see the good, savor the simple, and enjoy the now is what it’s all about. So maybe, for our sessions together, we can all practice making a bit more room for awe.

I can’t wait to share more with you about how this idea of awe is shaping my every day at home and during my sessions with families. 

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