Creative Kindling: Wonder Is My Love Language
How finding awe in the ordinary is an antidote to this season of more, more, more — 4 prompts, 3 quotes, 2 questions, and 1 wish
The world seems to spin a little faster this time of year, pushing us toward more shopping, more planning, more doing, more consuming. Between the over consumption of December and the optimization “new year, new you” energy of January, this time of year can leave us deeply depleted. As an antidote to more more more, we can tune ourselves to awe — a practice of appreciating the bounty in the here and now.
Yesterday's winter solstice—the darkest day of the year—offered us nature's reminder to slow down, to notice more by doing less and, in doing so, to return true wonder to “the most wonderful time.”
The beautiful thing is that wonder is always waiting for us in the steam rising from our morning coffee, in the way winter light streams through a window, the delicate pattern in ice crystals, in paying attention to the micro moments we so often rush past.
This practice of noticing might be the most precious gift we can give ourselves and others during this season of more. Because wonder is infinite and it multiplies when shared. It creates abundance from attention. And best of all? It's available to us in any moment, no shopping required.
Read on for 4 prompts, 3 quotes, 2 questions, and 1 wish to get you going on your wonder wandering way.
Last week, I led a Community Wonder Wander through the streets of Brooklyn. Over two frigid mornings, 25 of us carrying nothing but our curiosity and the warm parkas we were bundled in, spent two hours hunting for moments of delight. We savored the smell of fresh bread wafting through the winter air, savored the sun light on our faces and brisk air in our nostrils, spotted an elf walking a dog, enjoyed the slowdown, and felt a sense of gleefulness in each other’s presence.
4 CREATIVE PROMPTS — THINGS TO DO
Take yourself on a Wonder Wander, solo or with loved ones, and try one (or all) of these prompts.
1. Map Your World Of Wonder — Choose a familiar route (your commute, grocery store walk, or morning coffee run) and note everything that makes you look twice. The crack in the sidewalk that looks like a heart, the window cat who always greets you, the way morning light hits that one building. Return to your wonder spots when you need a dose of delight.
2. Zoom In / Zoom Out — Notice something nearby that’s much smaller than you and inspect it closely, honing in on the details. Now look up to the sky and imagine you floated up to space and are looking down.
3. Play With Shadows — This time of year, in the Northern Hemisphere, the shadows are longer because of the earth’s tilt. Spend time noticing the shadows and playing with your own — wave at yourself or make a shadow puppet like when you were a kid. For extra wonder, know that the light left the sun eight minutes ago and traveled 93 million miles to reach you!
4. Try Sensory Exploration — Find a spot to pause. Close your eyes and take three slow breaths. Now notice with closed eyes what colors and patterns do you see dancing behind your eylids? With open ears, what's the closest sound, the farthest sound? Can you hear 3 sounds you missed before? In your body, feel the air on your skin. Notice where your body touches the ground. Are there any spots of warmth or cool? When you open your eyes, what new wonders do you notice?
Fun Fact: Your brain filters out over 99% of incoming sensory information to help you function so when you pause to notice, you really are opening a consciousness portal to a hidden world (that’s always there).
3 QUOTES — FOR INSPIRATION
"Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it." — Mary Oliver
"Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time." — Diane Ackerman
"The universe bows to the smallest acts of attention." — Ocean Vuong
2 QUESTIONS — TO PONDER
What everyday sight would have seemed magical to your 5-year-old self?
What's something you've recently rediscovered with fresh eyes?
1 WISH — FOR YOU
I hope that you renew your wows. That as you tune your senses to wonder, you find your familiar routes surprisingly bedazzled with marvels that make you do a double take.
I loved this note from Noomie Emily Sandoval Zazueta on the power of this practice:
“I’m at my in laws for the holidays and my baby is waking up at 4 AM every day because of the time difference. To keep the house quiet I have been taking him on a walk until everyone wakes up. This felt like a chore in my early sleepy mornings but then I started to make them my wonder wanders and it’s become a highlight of my days!”
Wishing you a wonder-filled holiday.
Thanks for playing, xo P
