What is a Miracle Really? - What's Up Wednesday, May 7, 2025

When I was in high school, we were given a summer project to read a poem and write a one-page interpretation of it every day. Not surprised to say that my favorite poets were those referred to as transcendentalists. Simply explained, artists who looked at the world with a bigger scope and a connection between all things in consciousness. Fast forward to where I am today.

In this sentence, Walt Whitman captures the simplistic nature of a miracle. Too often, we hear people talk about miracles as instances where they beat some extreme odds that they shouldn't have been able to do. Or achieved some tasks that logically should have been impossible. The truth is, miracles are present in every moment of every day. The sheer fact that you are breathing, that you have senses, that you have thoughts, that you have mobility, all of that is a miracle. How often do you feel it?

Do you live your life knowing you are a miracle for simply being here? More than likely not. But for those who do, is it always the case? Again, more than likely not. We aren't taught to acknowledge ourselves as anything except what people find value in. We strive to be ourselves and be accepted, yet twist ourselves into something other than ourselves to achieve it. It's an utter fallacy of being part of the human species. We have evolved throughout history to rely on each other for resources, growth/development, support, and sometimes just pleasurable experiences, yet we surround them with judgments and criticisms. We constantly make comparisons, checklists, and fall in line with expectations without question...until we do.

What if you were willing to adopt more of the view Mr. Whitman is presenting? What if you say every hour of the day and night is a miracle? What if you acknowledge the simplicity that nature presents while knowing that the cosmos is in a constant state of flux?

How much peace would come into your life if you not only welcomed the miracles, but acknowledged the ones that naturally exist daily?