Simple Subtle Gifts

When the December holidays descend, my thoughts turn towards gifts given from a place of love and inspiration. I particularly celebrate gifts that are beyond commercial and material, since the holiday pressures to purchase are often excessive. With the ones I love, the simple gift of time together takes precedence over presents. Slowing down to remember the sacred miracle of being alive is the richest gift of all.

I think of my reverence for shared life experience, while walking in a local park with free time to fill (not kill). As I walk the park’s permitter, the day itself gives me a beautiful, unexpected experience.

The morning storm clouds have broken, revealing chilly afternoon sunshine. The remaining wisps of clouds are illuminated in a way that spectrally splits light. It’s a magnificent offering to behold, for anyone moving slowly enough to notice.

I walk until the direct sun is behind one of the vintage-style streetlights. That slight blocking of light allows me to see a new view of the illuminated sky. I’m in awe.

Pausing to appreciate the wild sky colors, I remember how common such simple, subtle gifts are. Each day gives us silent gifts of experience, if we’re aware enough to notice them. Even on the most difficult days, there is always nature within and around us to behold.

That remembrance is central in the workshops I’ve led from my first book, Wild Grace: Nature as a Spiritual Path. One of the most powerful experiences we’ve shared has been to each take a magnifying glass, and simply look closely enough at whatever’s at hand, until we see something we’ve never noticed before. There is always something newly fascinating to find, even in the most sterile indoor rooms. Inevitably, someone else notices something the rest of us have never seen.

Attending to those unexpected elements and moments has become a central part of my daily gratitude practice, too. When a day gets difficult, I ask myself: What subtle, simple gift of experience has the world given me today? What experience can I then share as a gift to others?

This time, simple sun through clouds and streetlight has given me a moment of awe, which I can now share with you across countless miles and moments. Via technological magic, that fleeting moment has now become a lasting, shared memory.

Subtle, simple gifts of experience are a miracle as reliable as air. Another day, another year of them awaits us.