Awestruck—How to Keep a Sense of Childlike Wonder
When we are children, so much of what we experience is new and exciting to us. Childlike wonder is a marvelous thing, and no other feeling is quite like it. It is excitement in the very heart of our being. Part of the feeling is due to the newness of childhood experiences—we’ve never previously considered them as a possibility. As we get older and have a range of experiences behind us, our ability to recapture that feeling falls off dramatically. We may still have new experiences, but they have familiar elements—they aren’t completely foreign to us. When we get to this point in our lives, we risk becoming jaded—not even being open to the kind of childlike wonder that we experienced in our youth. Can we keep the ability to find wonder in the world?
What happens when we get older
Every day that goes by gives you experiences. You may have had many of these before, some may be new, and some may be exciting and meaningful. But in each experience, you eventually see familiar attributes. This is not necessarily bad. It provides you with a context and “world wisdom” that you can use to get the most out of life. But it can also result in knee-jerk reactions and perceptions, and responses to your experiences that don’t allow you to see their new, beautiful, or meaningful aspects.
As you get older, you may also get overwhelmed and world weary. You may become wary of certain experiences because of the effort and hassle associated with them. Whereas when you were younger, your energy powered you through the less pleasant aspects of life. You may eventually get to a point where you need to tune out and shut down periodically to recover your focus and energy. You should embrace this as downtime is a necessary part of a busy life. However, it can be all too easy to “mind your mind”—to occupy your mind in ways that are not meaningful, such as watching TV or puttering around the house. There is nothing wrong with “mindless” activities as long as they don’t become ways to just fill the hours and avoid life. And you should never let your downtime be an excuse for not being open to meaningful experiences.
The alternative to this is thinking and behaving based on solid knowledge of yourself. As you gain experiences, you will (and should) know yourself better and will therefore be able to get closer and closer to living gracefully and in balance with the universe. You can organize all the aspects of your life in a way that is true to you. This may not always work in a practical sense—personal and professional obligations and commitments will, to some extent, dictate parts of your life. But if you are intentional about balancing and managing those commitments so that they align with your ideal life, you will get closer to, and eventually achieve, the life you envision.
Where can you find wonder?
Even though we all get a bit jaded with time, it is possible to find childlike wonder in our lives. We must create internal and external conditions that make this possible. The very first of these is emotional awareness. When you are aware of your emotional landscape, you are much likelier to be able to influence it. Certain emotional states are significantly more conducive to finding wonder, and certain others close you off to it completely.
Another necessary condition is open-mindedness. With experience comes the perception that you understand and know about most things. But if you stay open, embrace new ideas and experiences, and treat them like you’ve never seen or heard of them before, the childhood excitement will remain.
Finally, you need to be proactive about finding wonder. This doesn’t mean you won’t find wonder in your day-to-day existence—quite the contrary. If you’re on the lookout for wonder, you’ll find it in the most “normal” things. It’s also important to get out of your comfort zone. If you look for new experiences, you’ll be much more likely to find them. This can mean exploring different ideas, meeting new people, or traveling to places you’ve never been. Put yourself out there.
I find my childlike wonder in a variety of places. The first that always comes to mind is the weather. I’m still in awe of a rain shower—seeing it come from a distance and feeling it change the air, the light, and the mood. It’s overpowering. Any dramatic weather will do! I also get a thrill out of traveling. The whole experience and especially the “lift off moments”—pulling out onto the highway, the ferry’s undocking, the plane’s taking off—excite me. There’s always a “here we go” thrill associated with setting off on a journey. I also achieve a state of wonder when I meet what I call “special” people. “Special” means a variety of things to me, but the first has to be curiosity, followed closely by intelligence. Intelligence doesn’t have to mean high IQ or book smarts. It can apply to anyone who pays attention to the world around them and is excited about it. I love that kind of person.
Growing up doesn’t necessarily mean growing out of your childlike wonder and enthusiasm. If you have the right attitude, your life can be a quest for wonder and all the feelings that come with it.
