Over the past few years I have often chuckled
over the trite use of the word “awesome” –
so commonplace has it become that it has
lost all meaning. A quick spin through the
dictionary informs me that this word has
been used since the 13th century and that
its synonyms are: admiration, amazement,
astonishment, wonder and wonderment.
At a few dinners recently at the point in the
evening when the conversation begins to
drag, I asked those gathered this question:
“what do you regard as truly awesome?” The
answers will not surprise you. When I read
them I realized that most predate the first
use of this word nearly 800 years ago and,
in fact, most predate language itself, which
has been around for something like 100,000
years. Here is a partial list I compiled:
The raw beauty and power of nature
• The vastness of interstellar space
• The constancy of stars
• The Grand Canyon
• The silence in the deep forest
• The majesty of the mountains
• The oceans
• Waterfalls
• Energy
• Music
• The miracle of human birth
• Life
• True love
• The incredible diversity of life
• An innocent child absorbed in play
• A child’s infectious laughter
• A mother’s love
• Grace
• The aurora borealis
• A solar eclipse
• Renaissance cathedrals and the
incredible artwork contained therein
• Medieval villages
• The pyramids
• That man has landed on the moon
and returned
• That whales can “jump”
• The ingenuity of humankind
• Sunsets
We’d love to hear what thoughts you would
add to this list - just post a comment to this
blog on our website.
And, while you consider this list, we send our
finest wishes for a happy new year with the
hope that you discover something that truly
inspires wonder for you.
