Dare to Spark Wonder :: A Child’s Story
I'm not sure about you, but when I look back and consider how I've changed throughout the years, I can't help but notice how daring I used to be, especially as a child.
As a child, I would fearlessly pursue whatever path my curiosity led me down. I guess you could say that my desire to explore the wilderness beyond my worldview, FAR outweighed any fear of the unknown. It was WONDER that made me brave...
As a child, we do not know, and often, do not understand until our adult years, the kind of freedom that we have. It is a freedom inherent and embedded within our audacious and imaginative minds, as a result of the SPARKS of WONDER that we have encountered... They propel within us, an explicit propensity to open our eyes wider, to pay closer attention to each detail, and to discover an unfamiliar beauty, wrapped in simplicity, that has the ability to keep us captivated...
In the mind of a child, this fascination surmounts all other rational, imperative, intrusive thoughts and ideas - that we as adults are relentlessly flogged with. In directing all attention to whatever is in their immediate presence, children become free to stay lost in WONDER.
As they gaze in astonishment upon the enigmatic and awesomely mysterious, they are unable to fix their attention on themselves.
Think about a youngster that is 4 or 5 years old. They do not worry about what they are wearing. They are not concerned with whether or not they fit in. Or if they did or said the "right" thing. In fact, it is quite the opposite! They are usually brazenly chasing after something, but simultaneously happily dwelling within their own world.
Because of their physiological inability to analyze the abstract cultural and societal expectations, they wiggle their way through this loophole, to live instead with abandon and anticipation, in their own WONDER-LAND.
As adults with endless demands, we rarely make it to this place. In fact, we think it somewhat silly, as it sounds like something made up... A fairytale of sorts. And even if this WONDER-LAND was real, we feel like someone must give us permission to say "YES" to go there... Right?
I'm telling you now darling, WONDER-LAND is very real, and you have ALL the permission in the world to say YES to it.
You know those SPARKS of WONDER that I've been talking about? The next time you experience one, I DARE you to stop, and look at it really closely. Lean into it deeper than you normally would. You just may experience that special kind of freedom that comes with living a life of WONDER.