“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” Neil Armstrong
We enter the world hungry. Not just for sustenance, but also for a host of primitive needs like love, knowledge, and wisdom. Included in this list of basic needs is the need for awe and Wonder.
The art of wondering is becoming frighteningly uncommon. Busyness and rushing around prevent us from pondering the world around us and seeing in it the incredible awe and beauty and wonder. Yet, we miss it. Our automobile navigation systems get more attention than the magnificent architecture we are driving by or the parks or the ocean.
Each Day is a Sacred Gift
Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue wrote, “May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.” It’s so hard to imagine “each day as a sacred gift” when we are more interested in arriving than we are in the process it requires to get there.
Wonder of A Baby
Yesterday I was meeting with a friend in a dining room when the general manager made his rounds with his 5-day-old granddaughter. Everyone in the place was in awe of this perfect and tiny human being. The first things to receive our marvel are the impeccable hands and feet. I don’t know why this is so but it is certainly true. Perfect and yet the size of a tablespoon.
Wonder of the World
I regularly take the train from Irvine to San Diego, which is at least 50% directly along the oceanfront. And every time I find myself staring in wonder of it’s heartfelt beauty. And that leads me to “wonder” even more in awe about the wonder of life.
International travel has become a regular part of my life and that is mostly because I live in a state of wondering what is out there that I have yet to see and feel… and grapple with this overwhelming sense of awe.
And so I encourage you to make a conscious choice to wonder about the wonder of your life. It’s there right now. You don’t have to travel the world. All you have to do is pay attention to the wonder around you everyday. The wonder of your family and closest friends is a great place to begin.
Pay Attention
And Wonder Why
Photo courtesy of eugenesergeev at istockphoto
