I was recently driving by a popular sledding hill as snowflakes were gently falling from the ski. I noticed a group of kids with their tongues sticking out, trying to catch the snowflakes. I smiled and thought of all the times I did this, have done it with my own kids, and even catch a flake or two as an adult. This moment reconnected me to something: wonder. The more I reflected on it, the more awareness I had around wanting to embrace even more wonder in my life.

Merriam-Webster defines wonder in noun form as a cause of astonishment or admiration or miracle. Interesting that it can also be defined as a feeling of doubt or uncertainty. As a verb form, wonder can be defined as to feel surprise or to feel curiosity or doubt.

Isn’t it interesting that the same word can have us exploring both ends of the spectrum—from miracle to uncertainty, from surprise to doubt? Isn’t also interesting that we have often defined wonder according to specific types of events. And yet, I wonder (pun intended here) what would happen if we approached each day seeing life through the lens of wonder.

Let me provide a few examples:

• The sun rising and setting
• Stars filling a dark-lit sky
• Flowers blooming in the spring
• A baby being born
• Falling in love

I am pretty sure my list could go on and on here. When we stop and pause, we actually have wonder every single day. I’m voting that because some of these things happen every day, we may have lost some of our wonder vision—and dare I say, even take some of these things for granted. Wonder naturally brings us to appreciation, gratitude, and thankfulness. I also believe it brings us a greater sense of purpose and awareness of our deeper connection to the world around us. 

Lest you think I’ve forgotten about the “other” side of wonder, let’s name it here. I believe there is room for both. I believe that doubt often leads us to seeking answers and we ultimately ground even more in our purpose. I believe that we can navigate uncertainty by grounding in what we are certain of and trusting the process. I believe wonder actually provides an open door for more exploration, more grounding of who we are, and the ability to navigate life on a beautiful, full spectrum of emotions and experiences.

Here are three ways I have reconnected to living in wonder:

• Taking time to appreciate everything around me, even the small things.
• Getting curious about something new that I experience or witness.
• Noticing something brilliant in someone else and appreciating (maybe even being amazed) by it

I would love to hear about the ways you live in wonder. Let’s start a wonder fest!