Be Alive to Reality: A Richly Layered Composition

…And it is not just the toaster in itself or the blade of grass by itself that deserves our awe simply because it so majestically exists, but all the more the toaster in its kitchen environment, the blade of grass in the context of its little clump of grass. Yes, wonder at each thing itself. But wonder all the more at the motion of the tablecloth against the stillness of the wall, the light and heat and color of the sunlight as it carves a path into the otherwise grey and cool room. Stand in amazement not only at each part of your environment in itself, but at your environment as a whole, and at the dynamic contrast or interaction between any two or more things you see. Consider each sound in light of each sight, and vice versa. Imagine the whole of your world as it would be without one particular smell, and then be amazed not only at the smell, but at what your whole world is like because that smell is there. Wonder at the motion and movement of all these things in time – at clouds rolling and twisting and reforming as they move, at silence not only as silence but as a new thing that follows sound, and then at sound all the more because it is where before it was not. Each note of music is a miracle because of how it so perfectly follows all that precedes it. Take it all in, delight in it – the big picture formed by the five senses as it changes throughout time. Reality is so rich, so layered, so wonderful!* There is no bottom, no end to which even the simplest of things can be probed – even a scrap of paper holds infinite divine wisdom! There is always more to find in any given thing, always deeper treasures to discover. “Rejoice evermore!” in the words of Saint Paul (see this post). So take nothing for granted, but delve deep into the miracle and the mystery of even the simplest of things.

“He dwells (all of Him dwells) within the seed of the smallest flower and is not cramped: Deep Heaven is inside Him who is inside the seed and does not distend Him. Blessed be He!” – C. S. Lewis, Perelandra