Finding Wonder

Wonder is curiosity and fascination. A sense of amazement and intrigue that often leads to questions and exploration. You feel wonder when you encounter something unexpected, beautiful, or puzzling. It is sight, sound, and feeling that overcomes one, sometimes at the strangest moments. It is finding a world in the smallest details. Children are often cited as an embodiment of wonder. "Children, of course, begin life with an untarnished sense of wonder, a capacity to experience total joy at something as simple as the greenness of a leaf; but as they grow older, the awareness of death and decay begins to impinge on their consciousness and subtly erode their joie de vivre, their idealism... and their assumption of immortality." - Stanley Kubrick

For me, the loss of wonder is not so much about the awareness of death, but the allowing of the mind to think that it knows what it is perceiving. The brain is efficient and once it categorizes something, it sets it aside and wonder is lost. People go about their lives, passing wonders beyond comprehension, and never even notice. "The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder." - G.K. Chesterton Wonder seems to happen most often when we are in a state of gratitude or relaxation. Modern life bombards us with deadlines, world chaos, and countless comparisons to the point that it is a wonder that anyone can find themselves in a state of wonder. Here are only some of the things that can bring wonder back into your life-

Space- Let's start first with our night sky. It has been a comfort and a fascination since the beginning of mankind. There is a lovely word for it, Novalunosis (n.) [nova-loon-ohsis] - the state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars. When was the last time you found yourself outdoors at night, gazing at the stars and being filled with wonder?

The Earth and Nature- "What does it mean that the earth is so beautiful? And what should I do about it?" - Mary Oliver Nature is often humans' greatest source of wonder. Whether it is admiring the scenery or studying the colors in a cat's eyes, nature inspires us to be impressed. The natural world has influenced every style of art: drawing, painting, poetry, dance, and music. Songs about wonder abound, I happen to like this one by Bruce Cockburn called World of Wonders. My favorite verse-

World of wonders

Moment of peace like brief arctic bloom

Red/gold ripple of the sun going down

Line of black hills makes my bed

Sky full of love pulled over my head.

If you would like to see him sing it, here is the YouTube link https://youtu.be/MndVLW8_1Y0?si=WR3PtjrsmMPGUUF8

Travel- "I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful, an endless prospect of magic and wonder." - Ansel Adams Travel is often used as a way of justifying the time it takes to wonder. When people visit a place that is new to them, sometimes they do not want to be seen "looking like a tourist". Understandably, you might not want to draw attention to the fact that you don't know what you're doing, but you are then robbing another of seeing their surroundings with fresh eyes. What is more fun than showing someone something amazing they have never seen before? "I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses." - Bill Bryson

What is right in front of you- "Stuff your eyes with wonder", he said," Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.''" - Ray Bradbury What if you didn't have to leave to see the world? Look at your hand very intently. Observe the skin color and texture on the back of it, veins, the wrinkles around the knuckles so your fingers can bend. Are there scars or freckles? Now flip it over and look at the palm and notice how smooth and tight the skin is and the lines that cross it, both deep and fine. Is the color different from the other side? Contemplate how many beautiful things can be made with that hand. How many horrible things it can do as well. Amazing isn't it? One small part of the miracle that is you and yet you could spend many hours learning its secrets and philosophizing about its uses. "We carry within us, the wonders we seek around us." - Sir Thomas Browne

Thoughts- "I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief." - Gerry Spence The excitement of wonder is the not knowing. "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." - Neil Armstrong Unfortunately, once we think that we know and understand something, and then form a belief about it, we seem to no longer find wonder in that thing. It becomes commonplace and uninteresting. Maybe it is time to stop routine thinking and start over fresh like you just want to experience everything new. "Carry the spirit of a child. Just keep getting really excited about things and see the world as massive and unending in inspiration, color, and dreams, and spread those sparks around so everyone is on fire too because wonder is contagious burning thing that fuels adulthood like the slingshot of an arrow. The rush it brings." - Victoria Erickson, Rhythms and Roads I love the thought of wonder being contagious. See if you can't pull someone into wonder with you the next time you are contemplating the marvelous.

"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder." - E.B. White Like most things, consciously bringing wonder into your life requires action and focus. If that takes all the fun out of it for you, then perhaps be open to the possibility that today, you are going to accidentally find something wonderful. "The key to a wonderful life is to never stop wandering into wonder." - Suzy Kassam The exciting part about being lost but hopeful is that there is a happy likelihood that we will "... never stop wandering into wonder." I wish you a wonder-filled life 😄 If you liked the quotes used in this post, there is a free quote sheet available here.

Love and Hope,

Big Sky Baby