A Wake-Up Call for Joy and Wonder

I had an experience the other day that was serendipitous magic, and it made me realize just how long it had been since I had felt the charge of full-body amazement. 

I woke up for an early flight and realized that the wake-up call from the front desk hadn’t happened.  I had a second realization – I had probably given the desk clerk the wrong room number.  Double whammy – someone received an unwanted wake-up call at 4:30 a.m. and the very innocent clerk might be in trouble! 

When leaving the hotel, I told the desk clerk the mistake I thought I had made.  She said, “Yes, we don’t have a room 421 so I thought you meant 121.”  My room number was 241, so again, whammy – the poor soul in room 121 did receive the unwanted, unrequested wake-up call!  A lone person was sitting in the lobby at that ungodly hour.  She said, “I am in room 121.”  A bit gobsmacked by the chances of that happening, I asked if she had gotten the call, and she said that she had not because she had been sitting in the lobby for an hour.  All three of us burst out laughing.  What grace!  What odds!  What weird early morning magic!  

That experience put me back in touch with amazement, the beautiful ease of a supportive universe, and how connecting joy can be. 

When was the last time you felt a sense of joy, wonder, or awe? 

When was the last time your child experienced that lovely sense of amazement and elation?  Chances are your child feels joy and wonder more frequently than you do.  

As you age and your life becomes more centered around routines, the crystalline awe that you may have felt as a child becomes dull.  Part of your experience as a child was influenced by the novelty of situations.  Although you may still gasp every so often at a gorgeous sunset or the view of the Rio Grande Gorge, the everyday things don’t have the impact that they did when you first observed them.  It takes a lot – like a missed wake-up call – to knock your socks off. 

Is there a way to wipe the cobwebs from your perception so that you can rekindle awe at the sight of a darting hummingbird or the sound of the wind whispering through the trees?  The answer is indeed a “yes”, and your child can help! 

Here are some ideas and practices to reawaken your wonder: 

If your child is in awe, become a witness to their experience.  Slow down and follow their lead.  Observe their face, their breath, their eyes.  Ask them what they see and feel.  Look for what they are seeing.  Allow their excitement to penetrate your senses!  Let the wonder be a bonding agent with your child. 

Break up your routine.  My wake-up call adventure happened on a trip when no routines were in place.  Change what you focus on in the morning.  Change the order of your day.  If you do the same thing every day, shake things up.  Try a new restaurant instead of the old standby.  Go for a walk before that first cup of coffee.  

Practice pausing throughout the day.  Pause before making a decision.  Pause before lunch.  Pause before walking into your home.  To open yourself to wonder, you must pause and be present.  Be mindful, slow down, use your senses.  

Lie down.  Look up.  This flips your typical perspective.  Before you get out of bed, look up at your ceiling.  Do you notice any patterns, colors, or designs?  Notice what you haven’t noticed before.  Lie down outside and watch the clouds or the trees from below.  Curl up next to your dog and observe them from their own eye level.   

Practice randomness.  When you take a walk, don’t have a destination or at each turn, intuitively choose your direction at the last minute.  Guess what the price of the gas will be as you begin pumping or the final bill at a restaurant or how many seconds it will take for something to happen.   

Get curious about frequently seen or used objects.  Observe the pattern on a glass or dish.  Ask yourself what it means and who may have created it.  What were they hoping to express?  See if you can research the origins and meaning of the pattern.   

Express validation of and your appreciation for your child’s sense of wonder.  It could be as simple as saying, “I love how connected to nature you are” or “I love how you see beauty in the world”.   

Practice seeing things in a new light.  Wherever you are, imagine that it is the first time that you have ever been there.  Imagine that you are meeting your co-worker for the first time even though you have worked together for five years.   

Set an intention to allow wonder.  Look for it around every corner.  As Wayne Dyer noted, “Your intentions create your reality.”  Become wonder-full.       

Albert Einstein asserted, “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”  That is a little ominous.  Let’s reword it to read, “Those who pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe become even more alive.  Their eyes are open to beauty.”