Be Astonished

 

Cullernose Point near Howick.

"Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.."

Mary Oliver

I have a fascination with rocks and that's one of the many reasons I love the Northumberland coast. Walk along the coastal path near Craster or Seahouses and you can see rocks that were laid down in the early part of the Carboniferous Period, between about 360 and 328 million years ago. I find it mind-boggling to discover the many fossils of sea creatures who lived at that time when this part of the country had clear, warm, shallow seas.

It was easy last week, while on holiday in Northumberland, to 'pay attention' on our walks and cycle rides and see something 'astonishing'. We were out in nature, by the sea, wind blowing, waves crashing on to the rocks, and with nothing much to concern us except 'living a life.'

Click here to read the rest of Mary  Oliver's poem 'Sometimes'.' Click here to read more about the geology of this part of the world. 

Writing prompts:

• What have you paid attention to today? What has astonished you? Tell about it in your writing.
• Write, using all your senses, about a time when you enjoyed being at the coast.