Watch

Listen

Podcast S1 | Ep1: Finding Awe

Creator:
Published:
December 5, 2023
April 12, 2021
Find wonder and awe in life by listening to Grotto's Good and Decent's podcast Episode 1.

Subscribe to Good and Decent on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube

View other episodes in the Good and Decent podcast.

Routine has become an oppressive companion during this pandemic. Our worlds have become smaller — both physically and socially — and we’ve grown accustomed to our days blurring together.

Perhaps you’ve found yourself thinking, “Today was just like yesterday, and just like the day before. So does today matter? Or should I just give up on it?”

These are the thoughts our Senior Video Producer, Javi Zubizarreta has been wrestling with. He joins Sara Thoms in this first episode of Good and Decent to confront the challenge of monotony head-on, and propose an antidote: wonder and awe. Their conversation draws upon encounters with Harvard cosmologist, Mila Chadayammuri, and a priest on safari named Father Pat Reidy, CSC (watch our full mini-documentaries on both below). 

It’s not hard to see why awe is such an important experience for shaking us out of our complacency. Scientists have defined it as “the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world.” Experiences of awe are connected to better health, clearer thinking, and improved relationships. 

So how do we go out and find awe and wonder? As Javi and Sara note, it’s a practice. It takes intentionality to find these kinds of experiences — and then to savor them. Kids are usually plugged into the emotion of wonder intuitively, though, so they can unlock a spirit of awe for us. And then there’s the very simple meditation practice that Father Pat introduces, the “examen” — it’s a way to perceive more and increase your gratitude. 

See the work Mila is doing to visualize the deepest reaches of our universe:

 

Journey with Father Pat to Tanzania, where he reflects on praying in the Ngorongoro Crater:

Got feedback on our new pod? We want to hear it! Drop us a line at grottoteam@grottonetwork.com.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
December 5, 2023
April 12, 2021
On a related note...
What I Believe About the Things I Tell Myself

What I Believe About the Things I Tell Myself

Anna White

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Kraków

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Kraków

Julia Weir

3 Tips for Shopping Sustainably

3 Tips for Shopping Sustainably

Mary Cunningham

"Radical Hospitality"

"Radical Hospitality"

Chris La Tray

He Brews Beers and Community

He Brews Beers and Community

Grotto

"One Word"

"One Word"

Marty Moran

Learning to Accept — and Love — My Post-College Life

Learning to Accept — and Love — My Post-College Life

Abby Urban

The Motor Inside Camilo’s Music: Vulnerability

The Motor Inside Camilo’s Music: Vulnerability

Vanesa Zuleta Goldberg

How Magical Realism Helped Form My Imagination

How Magical Realism Helped Form My Imagination

Molly Cruitt

"New Year's"

"New Year's"

Dana Gioia

The Antidote to Shallow Consumerism: Intentional Habits

The Antidote to Shallow Consumerism: Intentional Habits

Robert Christian

Father’s Day Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Father’s Day Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

Employing Adults with Autism: The Right Decision

Employing Adults with Autism: The Right Decision

Grotto

Build Us A Home: In Appreciation of John Prine

Build Us A Home: In Appreciation of John Prine

Marty Moran

The Article that Changed The World's Opinion of the A-Bomb

The Article that Changed The World's Opinion of the A-Bomb

Grotto Shares

St. Padre Pio Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

St. Padre Pio Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

"Forgotten by February"

"Forgotten by February"

Grace Poppe

Looking Back on 2020, Here's What I'd Say to Myself in 2019

Looking Back on 2020, Here's What I'd Say to Myself in 2019

Laura Kelly Fanucci

This Poet is Fighting Injustice with Creativity

This Poet is Fighting Injustice with Creativity

Grotto

"Spring Practice"

"Spring Practice"

Judith Sornberger

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.