Experiencing Awe is a beautiful thing. It nourishes your soul to the brim. The dilating of the pupils, a little fast heart beat that settles into a slow one, bringing a lot of peace to the entire body. The grin from ear to ear that sometimes gets coupled with a few tears. And that overall feeling of splendor. The reassurance that “this” is also happening “here”. In this world we love to berate and judge. That in the middle of a work day, or a movie or just an evening walk, you can find so much meaning, and joy! Being awe-struck is more fulfilling than the day’s first cup of coffee 🙂

Why am I talking about this very limitless, and boundless thing, like awe. Because I experienced it a few times last week, and was so refreshed by it. On Friday I decided to work a little late in the office. Late by my standards anyways. When I left the office the sun was about to set in 10 or less minutes. So the golden light was illuminating every single leaf, ever since twig of a tree, and creating an amazing scenery. The eucalyptus trees were shining, their white tree trunk glowing in the sun’s light. And the mountains in the backdrop were glowing in fall colors. The contrast was beautiful. As I drove on Eliis Street the sun began to set and I watched the colors in the scene change from golden to blue in a matter of a few minutes. I realized, this is the last evening of 2019 when 6pm looks like this. After DST, it will get dark early and I will miss my sunsets. And that feeling, combined with the dynamically changing scenery around me made me awe-struck. I was smiling ear to ear and warmly hugging the moment I had just experienced. That moment is never going to come back.

When I came back home I told Tara about my awesome experience. She was a little distracted but I know she understood me. She said, “awe, did you want me to there with you when this happened?” And I was “awe-struck” again. How did she know? And how is this almost 5 yr old so perceptive? Well, I hope she grows a thicker skin by the time she grows up.

Prime Now has a new series called Modern Love. It is based on the stories shared in the NYT weekly by the same name. If you like the column, then you should also read Tiny Love Stories, a sub genre of Modern Love. I have a secret desire to some day send my scribbles to Tiny Love Stories. My problem is I am not a love story type person. So I find it a little hard.
Anyways I digress. Modern Love is a well made series with some fantastic actors, like Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel, John Slattery, Olivia Cooke, Andrew Scott and James Saito.

Eight stories, that hint at the times we live in now and how love takes shape and form in the most unusual ways. I won’t give away the plots here, but it is a must watch for anyone who enjoys a well made show with fine acting. I have a few favorite episodes that I know I will go back to time and again, just like some of my favorite Mad Men episodes.

The series Modern Love also struck awe in me last night. Well first, I am aching to visit NY. I love that city. I also love to hate it. I wish I could take parts of it, and re create it here in the Californian sun. Sigh! I am always in awe of NY and it’s grit.

But I digress again. I was awe-struck by the profession of acting. It must be so difficult to be someone who you are not. To emote, to evoke the feelings you need to in order to shoot a beautiful scene. It must be so hard to detach from the role when you go home after a day’s shooting. When I saw Margot at Ken’s funeral in the last episode, I felt moved by her poise. Her silence. I found it hard to believe that she was acting. How could she be doing that so well? If I ever took up acting, it would take a toll on my emotional balance. I’d get so attached to the characters. I mean I do that while I am reading a book, forget trying to play the character. Sigh! I am so glad I am not an actor. 🙂

I think, going forward, just like we count our blessings, we should also count our awes 🙂 The three awes I experienced over the last 48 hours refreshed me and lifted my spirits high!

To more awe-some experiences 😀