Choose to See It as a Miracle

Appreciate both magnificent caverns that take your breath away and simple daily wonders that sustain it.

Thank you for listening!

Take this reflection into the silence, and I'll see you next time.

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Transcript

In 1898, a young cowboy named Jim White was riding across the desert plains of New Mexico when something caught his attention. A dark, swirling cloud rose from the earth in the distance. At first, he thought it was smoke. But it didn't move with the wind like smoke did. Jim was curious, so he went to check it out. What he spotted struck him. Thousands of bats emerging from what would later become known as Carlsbad Caverns.

Armed with a homemade wire ladder, a kerosene lantern, and an abundance of courage, Jim descended into the unknown. The light from his lantern revealed only fragments of what lay below. Massive chambers adorned with otherworldly formations, stalactites hanging like stone icicles, stalagmites reaching upward over millennia. The caverns were so vast that entire skyscrapers could fit inside, their magnificence hidden beneath the earth's surface for countless ages.

Standing beneath the 250-foot-high ceiling of the Big Room, Jim must have felt insignificantly small yet inexplicably connected to something ancient and elemental. I experienced the same feeling during my recent visit to Carlsbad Caverns. Walking through those underground cathedrals carved by nothing more than water and time, I couldn't help but feel the raw power of nature's patient artistry.

As Einstein said, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Jim White discovered a miracle of nature. An awe-inspiring place. But we don’t need to discover geological wonders to experience awe.

The fresh embrace of clean sheets. The minty tingle of toothpaste. Warm shower water cascading down your shoulders. The aroma of morning coffee. Birds greeting sunrise. Spring breeze against your skin.

Snuggling with your dog. Grass between barefoot toes. The gentle rise and fall of your chest with each breath. City sounds drifting through open windows. The rhythm of your footsteps during an evening walk.

Ordinary moments comprise most of your existence. There are countless experiences around you that can be perceived as magical—if you simply shift your perspective. The majority of life consists of routine activities you perform daily, not extraordinary events.

Listen closely, as Jim White did to the whispers of the cave. Watch attentively, as he followed the flight of bats toward discovery. Appreciate both magnificent caverns that take your breath away and simple daily wonders that sustain it.

Whether standing in one of nature's mightiest wonders or feeling morning sun on your face, choose to see everything as a miracle.