Awe in a Grove of Redwood Trees

I have so much I want to say about two things: 1) A book called The Anxious Generation that we read for book club (SO good and really, a book every person should read…I know that’s a big claim but it’s true!) and 2) a visit to see Elle and Carson in their new stomping grounds of Palo Alto, California. Oh I have so much to spill out about both. But for today I want to talk about how these two things intersected this past weekend. It happened while we stood in complete awe in a grove of redwood trees.

Muir Woods

Being in the redwoods was the main thing Lucy wanted to do on our visit (aside from hanging with Elle and Carson). So we made that a priority and headed to Muir Woods (one of my favorite spots).

This is how Lucy looked in those woods:

It was a moment caught on the fly (hence the blur), but I’m so glad to have this moment captured to remind me of the sacredness we felt enveloped snuggly amidst those towering redwood trees.

I’m not sure how much she could see, but this girl FEELS nature in a pretty tangible way. She talked in hushed tones to me and Elle, and she turned on her recorded piano music while we sat on a bench and just “felt” the nature surrounding us.

Reverence for Nature

I am just so grateful she has this reverence for nature. Especially since I had just been reading in The Anxious Generation about the power of “AWE.” Oh you guys, awe is SO powerful! It comes from being present. From noticing. It comes from awareness. All things that are taken away when we are hooked into our phones.

In that book Jonathan Haidt talks about how awe is triggered by two simultaneous perceptions:

First, what you are looking at is vast in some way, and second, that you can’t fit it into your existing mental structures. That combination seems to trigger a feeling in people of being small in a profoundly pleasurable (although sometimes also fearful) way. Awe opens us to changing our beliefs, allegiances and behaviors.

Jonathan Haidt

He talked about how, as a professor of an undergraduate class at NYU, he gave an assignment to his students to take “Awe Walks” without their phones. These students noticed for the first time architectural flourishes and other significant things on the streets of downtown New York City. But even more powerful were the reports that came from those who walked through nature for their “Awe Walks.”

When you walk, untethered to technology in nature, you have the power to get overwhelmed in contemplation. You are inspired to look up. To see not only nature, but others around you.

There sure is something about absorbing beauty. Mother Earth is proven to be an effective treatment for anxiety. It has the power to give you the feeling that “everything will be ok.”

In a 2023 review paper, Dacher Keltner, a social scientist who has studied awe and also written a book about it, came up with this list:

Five ways awe improves well-being:

• Sifts in neurophysiology
• Diminished focus on self
• Increased pro-social relationality
• Greater social integration
• Heightened sense of meaning

Oh how we all want this, right??

So much more to say, but for today, sending us all on a challenge to seek out more awe. To notice more. To be more present. This may take putting our phone in another room. And when we do, what a great model we are giving our children!

Let’s end with one more quote from the book:

“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.”

Love.

Happy Wednesday!

Other thoughts about nature and awe:

• A Fall Foliage Obsession
• Two Days in Banff
• Why Nature Matters (An Eyre Sister Podcast)