Like most of us I find it easy to agree that seeking awe and wonder on a regular basis seems like a good way to live. We’ve all seen the magic that happens when children light up with excitement whenever they encounter something new. But let’s face it, as we get older, we’ve been around a while and observed and experienced a great deal. So, while it is easy to think of seeing wonder as something good, when was the last time you or I felt an overwhelming absorption of awe? Can you remember a time you felt humble in light of something universally large? Or did we lose our sense of wonder as we’ve aged or just forgotten how to find it? Perhaps we need to relearn the skill of wonder-seeking.
Like so many of my writing prompts, I stumbled across the idea when Thom my husband asked me if I’d seen a YouTube video about wonder. An author named Monica C. Parker was doing a talk titled, “Give up on happiness. Go hard at wonder.” During the presentation she explained what many of us suspect and Henry David Thoreau said, “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will evade you, but if you notice the other things around you, it will gently come sit on your shoulder.”
At first there didn’t seem much about the “idea” of wonder that pulled to me. But after listening to a couple of videos and reading a couple of Parker’s articles, I’ve developed a new appreciation. Not only is awe and wonder good for us mentally, the research shows there is also a physical benefit. For those of us who want to live out the remainder of our lives as healthy and happy as possible, learning the art of seeking wonder should be mandatory.
Parker is convinced that we can train our brain to see wonder on a regular basis. So where do we start? It’s probably no surprise that one of Parker’s first recommendations is to slow down. Obviously, the more we run around trying to do things, the more multi-tasking we accomplish, the less likely we will find the head-space to see something with awe. Parker says, “Wonder is nurtured in a slow environment.”
The best way to do that appears to be working on practices that help us develop our attentional control. Attentional control slows our thinking and helps us see and experience the moments around us. Parker offers a couple of ways to do this:
- Meditation—just about any kind.
- Writing in a journal.
- Develop a gratitude or prayer practice.
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep.
AND
- Go on a “Wonder-walk.”
If you are like me than the idea of a “wonder-walk is particularly appealing. Parker cites a study where a group of people were instructed to take a walk. Half of them were told just to go out and enjoy a walk and the other half was told to look for something that made them feel awe. Not only did those with the specific goal of looking for awe rate higher on many scales, but those positive affects stayed with them for up to a week. And while this can work in a city environment—I think we all know that taking a “wonder-walk” in nature is particularly powerful.
Other elements of becoming a wonder-seeker are tied to developing a “wonder-mindset.” How? Parker says, “Priming yourself to notice it (wonder) in the first place is powerful. We know from years of research that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. Why? Because if our brain believes that that goal has a benefit in the long run, then it will redirect resources in order to try to achieve that. So even just writing down saying: ‘Today, I’m going to find three things that give me a sense of wonder’ will set your brain off in looking to identify it.” What we seek, we often find.
Parker also believes that a wonder-mindset starts with openness, then curiosity and then absorption. The ability to be open minded is important so that we don’t close down with preconceived ideas. Exploring and exposing ourselves to novelty is critical. And curiosity can be either for the natural world or something that inspires us cognitively. Anything that allows us to feel “absorbed” by it can trigger awe.
Behind all feelings of awe is sense of feeling small and humble in comparison. Again, this can be something outside ourselves in the natural world—the first smile of a baby, a glorious sunset, a rainbow after a downpour, a first look at the solar system. Or can also be something that stimulates our brain and makes us imagine or see something so completely unusual that we pause and wonder, and thereby change.
Don’t just sit on your wows!
Why bother if we aren’t so inclined? Parker believes that when we experience wonder on a regular basis we develop “higher emotional granularity—or emodiversity.” When we experience something and say “wow!” that ability enables us with more “positive coping mechanisms.” In other words, we can better deal with change and recover from stress. She also claims that wonder-seekers have lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones, lower cortisol, decreased inflammatory cytokines, as well as lower inflammation. And that’s just the benefits to us physically.
Probably more important is a mental health improvement. Being a wonder-chaser will likely bring us more life satisfaction, peace of mind and sense of purpose on a regular basis. I still believe that finding happiness is possible for us all—but it is not usually from something we have—it is nearly always our choices. And one thing we can choose on a regular basis is to seek awe every day. Have you gone on a wonder-walk lately? Sounds like a SMART choice to me. What do you think?
Cathy, lately I don’t have to take a walk to be awestruck, it’s all around – a Bobcat ventured into our backyard, (a rare sighting) a redbird is a frequent afternoon visitor, and spring flowers are blooming everywhere. The air has a chill in the morning and the sun warms each day. Life is good and your post is a good reminder to make ‘observing’ a habit.
Hi Kathy,
The topic of this article is so timely, especially with the solar eclipse just happening. You and Parker are right, it is better to look for “wonder”. There are so many things in my 60 years that still amaze me every day. We are fortunate to live on four acres and see deer and moose playing in our yard with your families. It never fails to make me smile. We, also, like right by a bird sanctuary so seeing these wonderful creatures, how they stay aloft, balance on a tiny branch is truly amazing.
Your post is a very good reminder to, as the old saying goes, slow down and smell the roses. It’s all too easy to get caught up in all the bad and rhetoric going on. And, you’re so correct, it’s much healthier for mind and body to be looking for things to inspire and bring positivity into your life.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! And thanks to all your readers who post comments, which I enjoy just as much!!!
I read that Steve Jobs last words before he died were, “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.” Perhaps he was seeing something about the life he was leaving or the life he was headed towards that inspired awe!
Years ago, in a delightful book by SARK, she recommended what she called miracle walks, much the same as a wonder walk. And you are right – when we are looking for wonder or miracles, we will see them.
This topic always reminds me of a funny story from my law school days. We had a visiting professor from another country who had some unusual ways of expressing himself in English. One day he instructed us to “turn to page 47 and be amazed!” I can’t remember what was on page 47, but I was absolutely enchanted by the instruction, and quickly generalized it to life in general. Brush your teeth and be amazed! Take a breath and be amazed! See a bunny in the backyard (I did see one just a few minutes ago) and be amazed!
And yes, it is much easier in many ways to find wonder and awe in nature, but life itself, in all the ways that existence is represented, is pretty awesome when we slow down and look, as you say, with curiosity and openness.
Thanks for another great post.
Hi Galen! You always have the BEST stories. Thank you for sharing another gem. And I completely agree that we do our best to find the wonder in the simple everyday things….as you implied, the simple everyday things are sometimes a true wonder in the gifts they offer us that we far too often are blind to see. Thank YOU for your thoughts. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy, this really resonated with me and I love that quote ‘Give up on happiness. Go hard at wonder’, as it says so much! I always enjoy walking in the forest near my property despite having done the same walk over many years, it always has something new to offer me, the butterflies flitting about, the kangaroos jumping away, the simple pine cones on the ground and the silence that envelops me each time I step off the road.
My granddaughter is at a school in the UK where they take the students starting as little ones (she’s only 4) on weekly ‘Welly Walks’, where they put on their wellington boots and waterproofs, hats. gloves and go out for a walk in nature – whatever the weather! They sometimes stop and look at animals or this week they toasted bread on sticks over a fire – it is a wonderful activity instilling a sense of awe in the students. Everyone needs that in my opinion.
Thanks for your great post, I really enjoyed it!
Hey Deb! Nice to hear from you. And I SO-O-O agree that we should all go on Welly-Walks…I think I like the name of that more than Wonder-walks!!! Can you imagine if we all made a point of doing that as much as doing a daily meditation…cuz let’s face it…a true wonder walk IS a sort of meditation. And your walks in the forest are exactly that. Thanks for sharing and may your wonder continue! ~Kathy
HI, Kathy — Thank you for another excellent post. I am also a big believer in happiness and agree that it seldom lasts when based on material things.
As for wonder, it may sound simple but I feel this every single day that I walk on our ocean front or in the forests near us. I didn’t grow up with big mountain ranges or near an ocean. 800-year old trees were unheard of to me. As these masterpieces all surround where I now live (and never get old), no wonder may days are filled with awe! <3
Hey Donna! Thank you for ever-kind words. And I agree…whatever brings us closer to happiness and satisfaction the better right? Plus I can tell from your excellent nature photos that you LOVE being in nature and that points you near happiness. Aren’t you fortunate to live in such a beautiful area??? May today and every day in the weeks and months to come continue to spark wonder in you :–) ~Kathy
It might seem counterintuitive in the age of Instagram and selfies, but I find taking a camera along on a walk helps me to notice things I might have overlooked. Unlike those who are focused on taking pictures (usually of themselves) they can post on social media, I look for textures, shapes, and patterns all around me. Awe can be found on a walk in a city or out in nature… or watching a sunset from our back deck, we just need to open ourselves to what is out there.
I love your pictures of wonder walks taken among the redwoods and the saguaros… so different but both awe-inspiring.
Hi Janis! Having taken walks with you I know that you do have a great eye for catching glimpses of wonder and awe-inspiring sites. And I agree that we can find it anywhere if we take the time to slow-down and just LOOK. May your days and months ahead be filled with as much AWE and WONDER as possible! ~Kathy
I have been seeking moments of wonder & awe for a few years now. To the point that I chose “awe” for my WOTY for 2023. I had hoped it would make me more aware. Sadly, as you mentioned, I kept forgetting to take the time slow down, notice, and appreciate the awe-inspiring life around me. I love that quote, “Give up on happiness. Go hard on wonder.” Thanks for the prompt to do a little more awe spotting in my daily life.
Hi Marian! Good for you for making AWE your WOTY! I am sure that helps remind you on a regular basis. And after seeing the photos on your blog I can tell you do it a LOT! May we all go “Hard on wonder!” in the days to come. ~Kathy
Kathy – I recall reading about Awe-walks and even putting them on my “to-do list” a couple of times. Those were also focused on using multiple senses – encouraging you to see, hear, smell, and touch/sense things – to stimulate feeling of awe. Same idea! Your post reminded me, I do not do that enough. And gave me inspiration for a blog of my own …something I’ve been searching for for a couple of weeks!
Hi Pat! Thank you for the acknowledgement that having reminders is so very important. I doubt any of the readers of this post hasn’t read about or suspected that awe and wonder is “helpful and good” for us but can benefit by being reminded. There are so many things competing for our attention–slowing down and seeing wonder if important. Thanks for your thoughts! ~Kathy