Sense Of Wonder

By

I read a great line in a book the other day that really made me stop to think:

In the West, many have lost their sense of wonder about things. If miracles happen, how can we possibly know about them? We are too busy to notice.  We’ve gained wonderful things such as wealth and efficiency, but I think we’ve lost a great deal of perception – sixth sense, insight, call it what you like.  When you’re occupied every minute of the day, there’s simply no time for this kind of awareness.

It’s true. So true. Whether you realize it or not every minute of our days are completely and totally occupied. At work we are constantly toggling from Gmail, to Facebook, to our work email – holding many conversations simultaneously. Same in our personal life – many times we are out with friends, but also holding conversations, or following aquaintances’ lives, via our phones.

Not only are we not living completely in the moment. But we are using up all our brain capacity to think about anything else.

Take a step back.  Breathe. Observe. Think.

Having been essentially disconnected socially and virtually over the past few weeks – this sense of wonder, or “thinking thing” has naturally come to happen.  I didn’t ask it to.  I didn’t search for it.  I didn’t even realize I was even doing it until I read this paragraph in the book.  But I am.

Over the last few weeks I have found myself wondering about such things as the life of crabs, how the tide works, why some sand is black in some places and not in others, how shells are formed…etc, etc.  I’ve been doing actual thinking. And observing.  And wondering.  And guess what – I like it.

Now, what I don’t like is that I know NONE of the answers! I swear I Googled what made a mammal a mammal, the differences between alligators and crocodiles, how turtles have sex – we’re talking kindergarten level stuff. I now know there is no way I could win the science portion, or actually any portion, of “are you smarter than a 5th grader!”

Then there’s the other side. The overthinking.

I’ve definitely had many hours and a lot of time to think.  And overthink. What I will no longer overthink or even give one more second of thought to is: what others are doing that could be more fun than me (I’m living the life no matter what country or city I may be in), if I’ve made wrong decisions in life (can’t change them now, why worry), my place in the world (I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be), how society would, or does, define me (WTF? Why do I even care – I don’t know society!), and what am I going to do with my life (I’m doing it!  This. Is. Life.).

Lesson learned.  Make time to think. But not about what other’s think of you or anything you do. Grab life and live it. And do it your way.  What comes will come.  And finally, don’t ever lose that sense of wonder.

Leann Womack says it best:

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. 
I hope you dance….I hope you dance.>

Go dance. Go wonder.  Go live in the moment!