Awesome

 I found an article I had cut out a few years ago, from The Sunday Times I think. Anyway, the writer states that according to researchers at Stanford University, all you need is awe. The study revealed that regular "awe-inspiring moments" can improve mental health because your life satisfaction is getting a boost every time you have such a moment, as examples looking at the Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon were mentioned. Hmmm.

So what would be awe-inspiring for you and me? Something on a less grander scale, I feel. In fact, we would need to define exactly what we mean by "awe". Let's just tone it down a bit, let's substitute "awe" for "happy". For me, "happy" covers that feeling of excitement when you are looking forward to some event, it comprises that warm feeling when you are with your loved ones, sharing a meal or watching a move or just sitting and talking. I feel happy when I am meeting a friend for lunch or going for walks by the sea. I 'm happy that I live the proverbial stone's throw from the sea and can stroll along the beach with the wind in my hair any time I feel like it. Awesome!

Apparently, if we experience something awesome it changes our perception, makes us see things in a new light. This in turn makes us happier people and we are more likely to be nice to others.

A word of warning: if you are walking along on the beach or in the park and have your head down because you are on  your mobile phone, then you are not only missing the "awesome-ness" around you, you are very likely to crash into another equally oblivious mobile-phone-user or even into one of the awesome trees that fill the park.

Have an awesome week, dear readers!