Startled.

'Life should be so startling that it leaves little time for anything else.'

Okay, so let's be real. Emily Dickinson was mildly creepy and totes reclusive. Ole girl probably isn't a role model for very many people, as far as living goes. But then she rocks out this incredible quote, claiming that life should be startling. Put that one in your pipe; are you startled by life?

Sometimes I'm startled. When the weather first became summery, I was stoked. I remember moments when I walked outside and was utterly shocked at the beauty of the weather. The sun seemed so much brighter than I remembered, and the heat grabbed my skin. I felt, like, ventilated. Like the world was passing through me and I through it. Creepy, but startling. Usually, however, I'm not startled. I go through my day to day, do what I have to do, and go home. It seems like our girl Em was surprised by the subtleties of life.

What if I really focused on things that should startle me? What if I really looked around, glancing at my issues and at the humdrum of life, but gazing at the things that I might usually take for granted. Whether it be a smile on someone's face or a pair of sunglasses or the shape of a rock... the sounds of an ice cream truck or a red-head or a beautiful poem, why can't I gaze at that until it startles me again? Why can't I let its message and beautiful permeate my soul? Why don't I set my mind on things that are good and noble, things that allow me glimpses of the nebulous and numinous divine?