Childhood

My little granddaughter like the girl above is naturally filled with wonder. Her bonzer twin brother is more into action while she notices the small things. She will explore the bugs in the grass while brother fires rock after rock into the river. The little gal chases the butterflies that float by. She notices the different colors in a kitten’s fur that she inspects with the precision of a serious scientist, which she indeed is. She likes to find shiny rocks which she shares with me with complete and utter wonder but is also equally impressed by the mound of earthworms that live underneath the stone. Everything is viewed through her clean, fresh eyes. Many of us used to have her ability but years of calls to: “Focus, Pay attention, Get that icky thing out of here!” and we lose the ability or worse, concluded that only certain things are important enough for our attention.

So, I hang around the little angel, and a remarkable thing happens. I see the little things when I stop, the mostly meaningless carnival of nonsense that plays around in my head. I have tried wonder again thanks to my grandbaby daughter.

I see the squirrels happily eating underneath the grove of blooming dogwood trees. I notice a bumblebee crawling along on the ground and watch with wonder as he ascends into the cumulus cloud-covered blue sky, landing on the purple blooms of a sweet-smelling lilac bush across the street.

I notice the trees and with my experience and reading understand that these majestic creations that I walk by each day will be here decades after I am gone and are not separate from me. All the creatures and plants on this enchanting planet share the same ingredients from the bubbling DNA cauldron that is special to this blue orb we call earth. Every single thing has the spirit of life in it. Most of us humans are living lives of wonder that our ancestors could not even dream about or imagine. Why so grim?

Put down your damn phones and try some wonder for a change. What an old fart thing to say, but is it?

This reality of our shared existence in this moment in time is noteworthy and so incredibly special. It doesn’t last too long. Ask any tribal elder. I have to admit that the entire computer, internet, device world is one terrific wonder, that is true. But it is only one star—not the only one—in your own private galaxy. Too many of us have such a limited worldview.

This false limitation of what you experience is like restricting your diet to a menu with only the same few items. The invisible world of the Internet has its uses, but so does noticing the neighbor down the street from you. My grand-baby looks down to the world few notice but her brother is just as enthralled by the big things, like a roaring waterfall, a pink and purple sunset or a scary thunderstorm. Why not expand your worldview and experience more things? It is an enjoyable way to live—really live.

A life devoid of wonder can become a series of mundane days in various shades of gray, and that can lead to an overwhelming feeling that this life is merely meaningless chaos. Lack of wonder leads to depression, and the spirit of life dies long before the body gives out. We are all on this journey as we swing around the star that we call our sun for a brief few orbits before—in a wink — gone like a quick lightning strike in the dark evening sky.

Too often when I share such thoughts and encourage wonder, people shrug as if wonder is some luxury or a waste of time or some Pollyannaish gibberish. Statements like: “If you lived my stressful life you wouldn’t be gung-ho about preaching about wonder.”

I reject this type of thinking. I, too, have been abused, used, forced to choose, made to lose, and walked around confused for these things are also part of the equation but not the entire formula. People will lose loved ones, precious pets will die, and evil is always lurking around searching for new victims. We all have days when we want to yell: “Stop the world, I want to get off!”

We primates are incredibly irritating, self-centered, uncooperative, mean, and at times vicious. But that isn’t the entire experience unless you choose it to be. We can also be damn funny, loving, cooperative, comforting and helpful. Two sides to the coin.

Revenge or forgiveness? Thoughts of gratitude or self-pity? Take a life or save a soul? Heaven’s love or the devil’s hate? Brothers and sisters or taking care of number one? These are the eternal human questions. World affairs or life in your own neighborhood?

Pick a new passion to explore. Read and study about the cosmos, botany, light, history, geology or the working of the magnificent brain that is a universe unto its self. Fill your mind up with music, explore nature, and constantly expand your lens. Become more panoramic.

In short, share the love; fight the hate. Enjoy your life. Come join me and recapture wonder. Once you spot some wonder, you will see it popping up in surprising places.