It's All Too Much

Making a grand gesture about the overwhelming feelings of love, George wrote this psychedelic celebration during the Summer of Love (1967). The song was recorded for the Yellow Submarine film and captures that feeling of being flooded with wonder. George wasn't complaining that life was "too much"; he was marveling at it, trying to express his sense of wonder. 

Understanding beauty requires opening fully to it. The track, written for then-wife, Pattie Boyd, mirrors the experience of trying to take in more than your heart can hold. George had discovered through meditation and expanded consciousness that when you really pay attention, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. A flower becomes a miracle. Existence itself becomes almost unbearably beautiful.

Connections intensify when we are aware of the beauty around us. George was experiencing what mystics throughout history describe: the veil lifting, reality revealing its true face, the overwhelming recognition that we're surrounded by magic we've been trained not to notice. 

Heightened awareness brings both joy and awareness. Being fully present to life's richness means sometimes feeling too much, too deeply, too intensely. George didn't want to dull that sensitivity; he wanted to celebrate it. Being overwhelmed by life's beauty isn't a problem to fix; it's a sign you're paying attention. 

Today, I will allow myself to be fully present to one beautiful moment, even if the intensity feels overwhelming.

What beauty have you been numbing yourself to because it feels like too much? How might allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by goodness actually be the point of living?