A blend of gratitude journal and The Artist’s Way, a cross between mindfulness and self-care, Awestruck will transform your view of the world and help you recognize and appreciate your own special being.
Researchers have found that people who encounter the awesomeness of the universe around us—feeling the warmth of the sun on bare skin during a lunchtime walk; observing the vast enormity of a star-filled night sky; or being enthralled by a discovery—experience increased happiness and generosity in their lives.
Organized by season, this 365-day journal helps you cultivate and capture a little awe each day and to reflect on the bounty of marvelous experiences around you. Awe can arise from both positive and negative experiences—from beauty or success; from loss or disappointment. Awestruck reminds you that every day is an opportunity for enchantment; all you need to do is open your mind, heart, and imagination to welcome it.
Awestruck challenges your knowledge and perceptions through practical, contemplative exercises and provocative, whimsical questions such as:
- Whether you know it or not, you’re lovely for many reasons. Try to describe how being lovely feels.
- What’s your definition of hospitality?
- Somewhere in the distance, a guy is playing an electric cello. What do the first few notes remind you of?
- Where is your first love? Write a 3-line poem about your relationship.
- A dog named Caesar shows up at your door. He barks, he jumps into bed, he reads the newspaper. He has a magical talent. What is it?
- Envision your life a week from now, 2 days, 8 years. What do you hope is exactly the same?
- You inherit an olive farm in Ortygia, Sicily. You run away and live there in solitude for a decade. What are the highs and lows of this choice?
- Are you ready for heaven?
- This moment is racing through your fingers, like horses out of the stable. What do you hope to always remember about this, right now?
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” —W. B. Yeats
Experiencing awe in your daily life can increase your happiness. Spend a little time every day with this journal—indulge in a flight of fancy or get a novel take on your existence—and discover a wealth of possibilities about the world and about yourself.
