December 4 Prompt
Author: Jeff Davis
The Journey from the Center to the Page
@JeffreyDavis108Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
I’m behind on this already! Blame a weekend visit from my folks and my husband’s broken laptop. No matter though, onwards and upwards!
I read this quote from Robin Quivers (Howard Stern’s longtime cohost) in a magazine years ago, and it sticks with me:
It’s essential that a part of you not grow up. Childhood wonder gives us our spark and beauty.
Ever since I saw this quote (and probably before), I’ve always tried to live with a sense of wonder. I like to pay attention to details. The weirdest things come up when you pay attention to the details. You find out more about someone, or something.
I believe God is in the details. Or, if you don’t believe in God, Mother Nature, evolution or beauty. I can’t look at a perfect flower without thinking “Wow, someone was thinking here. Look at that!”
Here is a picture I took a few years ago of a passion flower to prove my point. Isn’t that a beautiful flower, even though it is not in pristine condition? (The less-than-pristine condition can be attributed to the fact that it comes from my garden.)
Now that I am a parent, my sense of wonder is heightened by the antics of my daughter. I laugh with her every day. I laugh at her every day. Not in a mean way, but because she is really funny, whether accidentally, or on purpose. (As she gets older, the on-purpose laughs are coming more and more.)
Flora’s imagination is growing in leaps and bounds every day. Just tonight, I watched the following:
This kid pulled out all the pots to have a tea party. She had me lay out her blanket just right for her party. Then once the pots and pans were out, she moved them around to make her tea party successful. Her dolly – and tea party guest – was in and out of the pots and pans as well. When I told Flora dinner was ready, she gently tucked her dolly into one of the pans with a blank, and then decided the other pan was now a drum.
Watching my daughter’s imagination grow keeps my sense of wonder sharp. I hope she – and I – can keep our sense of wonder sharp together.
