See Miracles Everywhere

My commute to campus is relatively short; about a six minute walk. Every day, I walk past the same houses and parked cars, greet the few neighbors out early and say hi to the neighborhood cat, and try to calm the very small but overly rambunctious guard dog. The other day, however, I noticed something that I hadn’t seen in the multiple years that I walked this route. 

As I walked up the hill nearing a corner, I saw the same tree I see everyday. Yet, my eyes wandered up all the way to the top. At that moment, I realized just how large it was. By far, it was the tallest tree on the block but I had never noticed its height before this moment. 

It took my breath away. Well, that might have been the incline of the hill that took my breath away. Regardless, I said out loud, “Wow, what a beautifully tall tree.”

It reminded me of the phrase by Zen Master and Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who wrote, “If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere.” 

Reflecting on my daily walk to campus, perhaps I’m not as aware as I should be. The tree was a little miracle that had been there the entire time, but I did not see it until that moment. 

As I walked across campus yesterday, I was again reminded of Thich Nhat Hanh’s wisdom. Students are back on campus, the Dell is full of energy, and there is a joyous and exciting atmosphere across campus. The little miracles are everywhere. 

My hope this week, as we start another semester together, is that you take the time to live into awareness so you might see miracles all across campus.