And Wonder Grows
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Loading... - Bosch Joroem
- 03 Mar 2023
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As life on this planet takes me into 80 years plus, I find myself facing the inevitable: I am slowing down. Know the feeling? We all do it differently, but indeed, old age will eventually slow us down. For me, challenging hikes I had taken a few years ago are now impossible. I find myself walking with a cane where I once ran. (At least this was true until I fell against a wall last week and broke my treasured cane.) Exercise remains important, but it is not as strenuous as it used to be. Large social events and activities do not consistently draw my presence as they once did. This morning I sit quietly in the backyard drinking a cup of coffee and thinking how fortunate I have been to live this long, and only break my beloved cane and not me in last week’s fall. I am not worried thinking I should be doing something, rather, I am comfortable in my world that has insisted on slowing down.
Not Everything Slows Down
Not all has slowed down, however. Some things have grown stronger and more active. Surprising moments draw interest and appreciation as never before. For me there is new found wonder in observing birds flying, bees buzzing, cats purring, snails moving slowly along, and a phone call from an old friend. I can get lost staring into the eyes of my 12-year-old Shih Tzu. I wonder if he feels the rapport as I do. I observe the sunlight dancing from tree to tree as my old eyes look up and catch a self-confident hawk overhead. I quietly smile. Ah, the wonder of it all.
The Oxford dictionary defines wonder as a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. Wonder allows us to see beauty in a rose, enjoy oneness with an ocean wave, and find love under the moonlight. All transcending rational thought. Emotions are stirred. Curiosity is enhanced. Wonder grows. Read More…
