Exclamation Points

"Live your life as an exclamation rather than an explanation.” - Isaac Newton

I will always remember the night I saw the northern lights.

I had traveled to the far north in Finnish Lapland, beyond the arctic circle to the village of Hetta to visit a dear friend who was working on a dog-sledding farm for the season. I'd been there for several days, helping to care for the huskies, cherishing the cuddles and messy paws and the cacophony of excited barking, but it had been cloudy and a bit rainy so I had yet to catch the colors dancing in the sky at night. On my last night, we were sitting inside after dinner when all of the sudden the dogs went quiet and then began to howl together. We stepped outside to listen just as the sky began to clear...and the light show began. We walked over to sit with the dogs, their chorus of howls a soundtrack to the dancing skies above...

There are special moments like this that punctuate our lives - exclamation points that fill our hearts with wonder and joy.

And...not every day needs to be an exclamation point for it to be special.

I believe that the soft and sweet moments found in our day-to-day rituals can, in their own way, bring the same wonder and joy if we are willing to pause and look for it.