January 16, 2013

It is said that if you take the time to be awed by the world we live in, you can be a happier person. Awe inspiring moments happen everywhere, all the time and they can be big or small. Awe can happen witnessing people showing great kindness to other people, animals or nature; watching two people who are meant to be together falling in love; watching people standing up to oppression at risk to their lives; experiencing nature in its breathtaking beauty such as a sunset, a full moon, or majestic mountains; witnessing great artistic or creative talent that makes you think and inspires you; or man-made structures that take your breath away. I could go on. For some reason I was thinking of the awe inspiring things I’ve seen throughout my life and started making a list of them to recapture how I felt in each of those moments. Focusing on my life right now, as well as future plans, it seems to crowd out these great memories that changed my life for the better. I shared some of them with Steve the other day, and he mentioned a few of his own in response, so I thought it might be worth sharing here, and perhaps, if you’re inspired, you can share your awe inspiring moments? I’d love to hear them. Now, before you think I’m having a brag-fest on all of the amazing places I’ve traveled to, I need to point something out. When everyone else was growing up and doing sensible things, like buying homes, nice cars and essentially, securing their futures, I decided to take a different path and invest in my memories. This was a very focused decision, and while I’ve got an amazing memory investment portfolio, when the chips are down financially, I don’t have any back-up. So I’m not bragging here, just taking you on a tour of the home I didn’t buy. I’m getting closer to being grown-up and investing in bricks and mortar though… I think. So here are my awe inspiring moments – both natural and man-made – and in no particular order: The Taj Mahal – the great monument to love. The first time I saw it, it took my breath away. So delicate and beautiful Abu Simbel in Northern Egypt – the statues and the way man moved to save them when the damn was built – awe inspiring Sitting in a hot spa in Costa Rica, while the volcano heating that water was going off in the background. It was scary and powerful at the same time seeing that lava coming down the mountain The first time I drove into Edinburgh, at night, I couldn’t believe how beautiful the city was. I thought I’d seen everything that could take my breath away until that moment When we were living in Noosa, I have never seen full moons like it – big, orange, beautiful moons. The Milky Way from my Dad’s “farm” outside of Wodonga is very special too Another great aspect of Noosa was a beautiful little possum that used to visit with her baby. Towards the end of our stay, she had another baby and would visit us every night with both kiddies – very cool. Another awe inspiring animal encounter was the day I came face-to-face with my first Hummingbird while sitting in a café in Antigua, Gutemala Falling in lovewith Steve was truly awe inspiring The first time I stood in Times Square, NYC was unbelievable – I’d only seen it in the movies before then Coming into NYC on the train from Boston a week after September 11 and the twin towers not there… The view from the trains in India – observing life, in all its forms, waking up first thing in the morning – the women and children first, followed by the men When I flew into Nepal and saw the Himalayas popping through the clouds, and then having them as my backdrop for the next month – majestic is an understatement The first time I stood in Tiananmen Square in 1995 and reflected on all that had happened here Standing on the Great Wall of China – looking at it weaving through the mountains in both directions The Island of Isis in Egypt, one of the few temples that survived the damn flooding – so beautiful and delicate, but also interesting as part of its history is its defacing by the Christians Reading the hieroglyphicsin the  Egyptian pyramids – I’d studied Egyptology at university, so it was amazing being there, reading it in real life The Island of Phi Phi in Thailand (2004, so pre-Tsunami devastation) with Steve for our one year anniversary – simple, calming, happy, beautiful, and peaceful Our honeymoon in Kao Tao, Thailand– we just talked and got to know each other even more?! It was spectacular The pleasure we gave everyone who came to our wedding Sitting in Kowloon with Steve for the first time together, by the water, looking at the Hong Kong skyline. We had both done this many times alone, sitting in exactly the same place. It was super special sharing it together for the first time that Saturday night in 2003 Understanding the scale of destruction the Tsunami wrought from our balcony in Phuket, when we lived there for a few months. The entire village of Kamala Beach, which we overlooked, was wiped out My first day in London, at the time there were no skyscrapers. I couldn’t believe how low and beautiful the city was The view from my apartment in Glebe in 2002 – overlooking Sydney Harbour, including the Harbour Bridge. I lived there for a year and took tremendous pleasure in this view every day Standing in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, enjoying an Airshow and being gobsmacked by the Cathedral that was standing there in ruins after an earthquake more than 20 years before. It was beautiful in its destruction and the fact they’d never rebuilt it Chichen