Spring has Sprung -- Get Out There and Enjoy the Sheer Wonder!

Are you filled with wonder? I know that we often want to recapture the wonder that we knew as a small child when we believed in fairies and mythical holiday characters.

Babies and children help us to see the delight that surrounds us. When little ones visit, they are sure to see any toys or objects that can be used as toys. Magnets are for moving on the fridge, car banks with wheels are to be lined up and set in motion. We get to an age when we don’t point to the sky when there is an airplane or bird in motion in awe.

For children the world may be more vivid and may be like the infatuation stage of love when everything seems a little brighter or sweeter. Babies at a certain age can tell the difference between primates that look the same to adults and may see so many details that are invisible to us. And yet, it is the human face that is of most interest to the baby. And adults are often drawn to children in tender and nurturing ways. I marvel at children and babies and how they learn at a phenomenal rate. Watching my niece when she was a toddler belt out a song in mainly baby gibberish is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen on the planet.

As I am a more auditory person and often in my thoughts, I worry that I can’t appreciate the beauty of the world of an emotional level like others that I know. Also, I worry the time that I spend in front of a computer screen for work and leisure and time in front of a television will further dull my ability to take in vistas. I sometimes rely on others to label my world for me.

A white clematis vine

I have heard people suggest that you take a very slow walk to take in the details that you never noticed. You may even discover a business that you didn’t know was there among a business district. In years gone by, I loved to take walks with my mom who is a woman whose artistic side comes out when she is able to work in flower gardens. She notices things that I am so oblivious to in the neighborhood. She is my zoom lens. There was Clematis with a striking purple flower on our walk that she remarked about. Eventually, we replaced our white flowering Clematis with a purple flower with the “pop factor” right in our own yard. Seeing her eyes light up as she beholds the rare siting in my area of a humming bird outside or when looking out a window is priceless. Watching her giddiness over her grandchildren heightens my experiences with them.

A mental exercise that I do to help me see the world is to write about my surroundings in my view in my head. As I tap into my verbal side, I study the scene more and become more aware of my surroundings.   

I think there is much to wonder about in this world. I have a great deal of interest in psychology and science and am often thinking about studies that have been done or that I think would be good to perform. Yes, there is much to wonder about regarding people at every stage in the life span from birth to the most elderly among us. There is so much to learn about the intricacies of this Earth and even down to the cells in our body. After I studied Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Mechanisms at the university, I learned how very complex the speech process is that uses the same infrastructure for breathing and eating. In other courses, I would learn theories about how our mind processes language. The fact that we can communicate at all and have any level of understanding with another is so incredible when you think about it. At what seems like lightning speed, we can listen to someone and respond to them and continue the turn taking process. I have only scratched the surface of what I could possibly learn on this planet.

But I think there are times when I need to just shut down my brain and take in the world. Spring is coming with the potential of spring showers that allow the spring flowers to grow and bloom and the grass to turn a deep green. There will be birds chirping and bees humming and it would be such a shame not to take note of their music. With the warmth of the sun on my face on blue sky day, I just want to have an emotional connection with my surroundings as I have a sense of sheer wonder wash over me and I feel an oneness with God, nature, my fellow man, and all that is good.
– population-we™ blog post by Barb Bohan

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure to leave a comment or 'Like' it.