Retaining Wonder

I've always really enjoyed working with children.  I think part of the reason is because they see everything through fresh eyes and they're amazed by things that we've come to take for granted as we've become habituated to the wonders in our world.  It was so much fun when my own children were very little and they viewed everything in the world through those eyes.  Now that they're getting older and I no longer have a job working with children, I have to work harder to find that wonder again.

Do you remember when you were young and how exciting an office looked?  All those buttons to push!  All that fancy equipment that did amazing things (I didn't know what amazing things, but I was sure it was wonderful)!  Now I walk into my office and I see tools to get my job done.  But really if I stop to think about it, I've got two different smart phones, speakers, two huge screens so I can work on something on one screen and email someone about it on the other screen.  This isn't what I used to imagine I would have when I was a young child, technology has seriously improved over the last 40 years.

One of the tricks that I use occasionally to make myself stop and appreciate everything around me is to pretend that a historical figure is watching me.  I imagine how awed they'd be by things like elevators, refrigerators, running water, computers, and the fact that nearly everyone is literate these days.  It helps me to stop and feel wonder at how far the human race has come.  While one could argue that feeling awed by the everyday miracles that surround us isn't truly that important, gratitude does lead to feeling happier; and I certainly feel more grateful when I realize what a blessing it is to have so much in our lives that allows us to focus on knowledge and growth rather than just surviving the day.

Today was simply beautiful.  It was 68 degrees at about 5:30.  I saw some pretty purple flowers (yes, I know they're weeds, but they're still pretty) on a walk with my son.  We also had a pretty stunning sunset.  Sorry this photo is a little blurry, it was taken with my camera phone while I was doing dishes, but it was just too pretty not to share.  Here's to wonder, awe, and gratitude!