#4 watch a sunrise

My favorite spots to view the city from my hometown: Huntington Beach

I had a plan to watch the sunrise [list item #4] at the beach huddled in a blanket (maybe viewing a comet) with a thermos of something warm. But instead by accident I guess I caught my sunrise driving in to a super early weekend shift downtown. I'm glad I got a chance to be alone in a quiet car watching the Cleveland sunrise early one morning while I was driving in to work.

 I was filled with a sense of awe at the sheer beauty between the mixture of nature and man's  ingenuity. I watched the shimmer of pinks and orange reflect of the windows of the sky scrapers and shadows dance on the bridges. I was amazed at how beautiful the lake was and on a bitterly cold morning humans have found a way to create a home and enjoy this space. One could say that I was in awe:an experience of such perceptual vastness you literally have to reconfigure your mental models of the world to assimilate it.

almost magical

Anytime I watch the sunrise or sunset I start to contemplate and reflect on life. How many other days have I seen the legs of sunlight streak across the sky but don't notice it as I am too engrossed in my current task? This wasn't a life changing event or anything but more like a life appreciating event. It gave me a boost on the early morning to enjoy what I have and look forward to what is yet to come. It let me freeze time for a moment and see things through a different light.

Later that day I stumbled upon a youtube channel called Shots of Awe. Jason Silva a "Performance Philosopher"  uploads short (he calls them philosophical espresso), inspirational videos in which he explores topics such as the miracle of life, the evolution of intelligence, and the advancement of technology. He is totally my new nerd crush. I wish I could speak as eloquently and passionately as he does. 

 I think he sums up life beautifully: "we fit the universe through our brains and it comes out in a form of nothing less than poetry we have a responsibility to awe" 

I never want to lose that childlike curiosity and wonderment. I always want my breath taken away by the sheer beauty, complexity or magnitude of life. I live for the AWE and I hope that you can too, shake up your routine, break some of those mental habits and appreciate those simple things in life. Get inspired.

Awe Video link

check out my other favorite video: Existential Bummer