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Friday
25th October

A sense of wonder

When I walked into our bedroom this morning, I noticed how the shadows of the tree leaves in front of the house fell on one of the Buddha statues. The leaves swayed in the autumn wind, covering the Buddha’s face in rippling darkness. Suddenly, a gust blew the leaves to one side and the gentle smile of the Buddha was briefly unveiled, as if a curtain had been lifted and then quickly lowered again.

As the sun moved the statue became darker and the leaves continued their dance further along the wall.

 

I stood there, mesmerized by a scene that must have taken place hundreds of times since we moved into this apartment two and a half years ago. But only today did I see it, and it caused the same sense of wonder I often experience when travelling.

 

I remember being touched by the singing of the audience during a midnight concert in an open-air arena in Oman. The men in their white dishdashas sat separately from the women in their black abayas. But when they started to sing – the men in deep voices, the women answering in a higher melodious tone – they became one despite their physical separation. I was equally moved by the ardent devotion with which Indian women prayed on their knees before the statue of the Virgin Guadelupe in the basilica in Mexico City. I was deeply struck by the almost palpable belief that the Virginsita watches over them like a caring mother. And at a market in Chang Mai, I was surprised by the rich, subtly sweet, floral taste of the durian fruit I tried. How could a fruit that smelled so foul be so delicious?

 

The desire to experience that jolt of surprise may be one of the reasons I enjoy travelling so much. To unexpectedly experience that same sense of wonder in my daily environment was uplifting; it made me realise that my senses have not been dulled with the passing of years, rather they have sharpened.

 

I’m not sure why I noticed the play of light unfolding on the Buddha’s head for the first time today. Perhaps I was never there when the light fell in this special way. But I prefer to think that it has to do with the fact that lately I’ve been trying to make an effort not to be caught up in my thoughts, so I can be open to whatever comes my way. Regardless of the cause, the sense of wonder I felt this morning made me feel more alive at seventy than ever before.

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