Learning To Be Astonished

My business is all about holding space for people's learning, and recently I have been asking myself, "Who is holding space for MY learning?" 

Yesterday, was one of those moments.

Using 1 quote, and 1 poem, we came together to connect, share, and be inspired by one another. 

I definitely was inspired!

The quote was, "If we surrendered to earth's intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees," by Rainer Maria Rilke

And the poem was one by Mary Olivier, which had a line in it about standing still and learning to be astonished. 

It was this line that I kept coming back to again and again during our 90 minutes together. 

One of the other attendees reflected, "When was the last time I was astonished?" 

It really made me think, and as it came my turn to share, I realized how often I am astonished, even if I don't put that label on it.

As I was sharing, I looked up from my screen and stared at the mountains and the sky, seeing tons of birds flying in what looked like haphazard ways across the sky. It looked like there were playing. 

It was astonishing. 

I realized that astonishment isn't something we need to seek, but something we can create right here, when we choose to be present. When we choose to shift our thinking, or our view of a situation. 

And yes, of course, we can also create moments of astonishment for ourselves, and also those around us.

When was the last time you were astonished? 

Originally posted on LinkedIn with comments.

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