Recapturing a Sense of Wonder

One summer night when I was 8 years old, my father took me to a local observatory. It was just dad and me and I remember feeling so special to be invited to go with him. A short drive later we pulled up to a building with a huge domed roof. A crowd of people had gathered inside and I was in awe as I stared at the high ceiling. My father and I stood in line, gently wending our way up a set of dark stairs that led to a ladder. That ladder led to an enormous telescope. I can still remember the glow of the moon through the telescope and the huge craters on the surface. I was fascinated. In awe.

I must have climbed that ladder ten times throughout the evening while my father chatted with others in the huge room below.

I realize now that this was one of my first experiences of wonder as a kid.

I wondered how the big telescope worked. I wondered how they found the moon in sky. I wondered what else I might be able to see with that telescope. And, I wondered what it might be like to travel among the stars.

Lately, I’ve wished the wonder of that child was with me more often. That I could look at the world around me with wonder again.

It gets harder to see the world with wonder as we age, I think. We believe we already know what we need to know. We don’t feel we have time to slow down and really watch the sunset or notice each new flower in our yard or garden or wonder what kind of bird is singing when we start our day.

But I have a sense that if we could wonder more, the world would be a better place. A happier place. A more colorful place. Think of the things we’d have to talk about or share on social media. Think of all the creative ideas that might come about. Think of the inspiration that might ensue. And think of the solutions that might spring to mind if we wondered about the problems in the world without thinking we already knew the answers or worse that there were no answers.

In the spirit of wonder, I have decided to embark on an experiment this week. Maybe you’d like to join me?

I plan to spend at least 10 minutes of each day in wonder. I will start by taking a short walk outside and really opening my eyes to what I see. Maybe I will take some pictures. Maybe I’ll do some journaling. I’m not sure yet. But I do know that no matter how this experiment turns out, I’ll learn something. And I may just get a little closer to the child I was at that observatory.