When you become little enough, naked enough, and honest enough, then you ironically find that you are more than enough. ~Richard Rohr

Being on the water along the western coast of Canada for the first time I remember being spellbound by the massive snow-capped mountains jutting out of the water thousands of feet into the sky. It wasn’t so much the mountains themselves that caught my attention, since I am a Colorado gal and accustomed to seeing the Rocky Mountains in my home state. It was more the contrast of the watery ocean edge abutting the solid rock wall of earth and the massiveness of them both juxtaposed against one another. My boat seemed like a speck of debris floating across the surface of the water in comparison. It evoked a sense of awe within my body but also an awareness of how small and brief my life is relative to this ancient rugged beauty. Like refocusing the lens of a camera, my field of vision became so much more expansive in that moment. I suppose one might feel insignificant in light of this insight, but my experience was one of feeling strangely calm and reassured. If I truly am a speck, so-to-speak, or a fleeting blip in time, then why not dive into my life with both feet, abandoning my reserve and caution and participate fully instead of being a by-stander who constantly waits for the right moment, or who’s afraid of making a mistake, or being hurt, or doing something that feels a little scary. How big of a mistake can I really make anyway?

My experience reminded me of a scene from the 1990 movie, Grand Canyon, where an unlikely cast of characters (Steve Martin, Danny Glover, and Kevin Klein) who are living in LA find their paths intersecting as they embark on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Each person is bogged down by his personal story and drama. When they arrive at the canyon’s edge the evening sun is low in the sky illuminating the vast crevasse with orange, red, and gold. Standing at the rim, each person pauses, transfixed and completely mesmerized by the splendor displayed before their eyes and their internal angst seems to melt away. This is not an uncommon experience, but what I find interesting is how easily my vision can begin to narrow again after a “Grand Canyon” moment. Caught up in the irritations that often accompany daily life, my vision becomes dulled and clouded again and I’m unable to see the miracles surrounding me. Becoming right sized is about, re-aligning with wonder and the aliveness it invites. To live, breathe, and experience my world fully awake to the joy and pain and beauty it contains and embrace all of it.

Question: What helps you become right-sized?