On Finding Miracles
Miracles, Updates, and the Best Treats of Summer
Well, it is here. The season of sun, light, and warmth. I am so not sorry. I look forward to the bursting forth of color and green each and every year. We passed it again- the summer solstice, and are in a season of riotous and glorious growth. Summer is wild and green.
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist, famous for the “theory of relativity” which revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe, and who developed the famous equation E=mc², demonstrating the equivalence of mass and energy, and whose work on the photoelectric effect earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921—this brilliant scientist said:
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
This scientist, who spent his time thinking about complicated mathematics and physics–things that go beyond my brain–made room for thinking about miracles, for the unexplainable amidst all the math, rules, and principles.
And though it might seem odd a scientist would say such things, perhaps if we stop to ponder a bit, we might find it not so odd at all.
After all, what did Einstein spend his time studying?
The unexplainable.
He noticed, he observed, he thought, he imagined. He thought about possibilities. He gave room for possibility.
He was curious, he asked questions, he wondered about how things work, about energy, mass, light. And he saw it all of some kind of miracle.
If he thought he knew the answers already, well, I doubt he would have gotten very far. I reckon someone else might be credited for these scientific breakthroughs eventually.
When you are spending each and every day pondering the mysteries of the universe, you begin to notice that so much is miraculous and mysterious—that the world is downright amazing.
Ahh. What a perspective.
It’s not jaded. It’s not apathetic. It’s not cynical.
I’ll be honest with you. I need that reminder. I need–and want–that perspective.
You know, in our youth, we think we know it all. We think we have the answers and adults (i.e, our parents) know nothing. (Confession: I did go through this phase!)
And gosh it’s embarrassing. I wish I could say I skipped that phase and I was just so mature.
Ha.
No, I had to grow and learn and eat humble pie in my life to remind me over and over that I know nothing, and my parents did know something after all, and I have much to learn.
I’m still learning.
I can’t tell you how much I know I have no answers and I wish God would drop maps into my lap with the exact GPS location tracked with a red blinking light so I’d know exactly my next move, or drop all the answers in a convenient.
Ha, again.
I don’t have this all figured out. I’m still learning, each day, I’m learning. I don’t have the GPS directions or the maps. I have maybe some general direction some days, and other days I have absolutely no clue what my next step should be.
But one thing that is helping me: to live as if miracles surround me. To allow myself to be absorbed into the wonder of life. Of summer. Of the mysteries of clouds, wind, spider webs, seeds, and bird calls. How can a tiny seed hold an entire living plant, either a plant of beauty or one that I can eat? These may seem like ordinary things, little things, and I sometimes feel like it sounds trite to say I marvel at it.
But it’s true. I’m glad these mysteries exist. They teach me. They comfort me. They delight me. Perhaps it is in their inexplicability and in their regularity to appear, I find hope. No, these don’t necessarily tell me exactly what to do. But they inform me in their own ways, and they are live-giving.
So, yes, there are two ways to live. Is there a third way? Perhaps the one of indifference? But that is, I suppose, the way that decides nothing is a miracle?
When we are dead to miracles, we are indifferent. We are indifferent to beauty, to wonder, to joy, to life.
When we are dead to seeing the divine image in other human beings, we are indifferent.
May we not be. May we see the miracle in every glorious flower, in the sun in the sky, in the shade of the oak tree, even in pesky weeds, in the flight of the bee, and in every soul we see. Every soul is a miracle, and I can’t quite explain it. Sometimes, I’m sad, angry, and frustrated at some of the humans around me–but I know all the humans around me are walking miracles.
May I live life as if everything is an absolute wild miracle.
What if we all lived this way?
***
Since I am filling myself to the brim with summer, this will be a brief missive.
But I wanted to pop and remind you to connect: to connect with nature and to others. I find it easy to connect with nature in the summer - minus the bugs (mosquitoes). I don’t want to connect with them at all. Ha ha.
And connecting with others is easier in the summer, in some ways, as we can plan for activities outdoors, but it can also be easy to not go deep and stay in the shallows of relationship. Do you connect with certain folks regularly each summer?
Remember your miracles each and every day.
News/Updates
I recently had the honor of being a guest on the Be the Bridge podcast. You can listen to the entire episode here.
In case you haven’t picked it up, my book is on sale for just over $13! The best price I’ve seen so far!
It is Farmers Market season - and I love visiting Farmers Markets! Have you been to one in your area? What’s in your local market? Why do you go and what do you buy? Not much produce is ready yet around here, but I bought some radishes, lettuce, kale, and some peaches that came from GA. All of it was so good. A bowl of fresh, ripe, sweet peaches is one of the best treats of summer.
What treat do YOU look forward to in the summer months?
In celebration of summer, I bought a few tropical plants: a red hibiscus, a purple dipladenia, and a pink mandeville. I know they won’t last past the first frost. But, for now, they are blooming ever so delicately. I hope they survive my care! I’ve never had a mandeville or dipladenia before.
Dear friends, my wish for you is to stop and notice the miracles around you. What (or who) are the miracles around you? I promise, they are there. ❤️
Peace,
What a thoughtful post! We all need to be reminded of the miracles all around us these days, when there is so much negativity and fear. We must all hold each other up and enjoy each new day as it could be our last. Thank you Prasanta!
I’m spending time enjoying the miracles and beauty too! Thank you for this post.