What is wondrous in your life and
life around you? To answer this, you might wonder what is wonder? Wonder is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by
something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. This happened to me
one day when I was visiting Kaieteur
Falls in Guyana, a country in South America.
The falls are the world's
widest single drop waterfall, located on the Potaro
River in the Amazon Forest. The falls
were spectacular: the roar, the mist, the grandeur.
Then I heard a large parrot call, and a pair of Red and Green Macaws flew out of the mist, as if the water had conjured them, and they flew right by us. After a short time, the birds returned, flying towards the fall, like they were going to enter the cascade, but instead, turned into the cliff face where they had a nest. I stood mesmerized, knowing I had seen one of the greatest wonders in the world, the colors of the parrots merging with the colors of the rainbows in the cascade thundering behind us.
Wonders also happen all around us, hundreds of them available to us in one week. People report having three awe experiences a week. How many do you have on average? Think back on this week. How many times did you drop your jaw or open your eyes in amazement?
Do you wish you had more wonder? Whatever you answer, there are reasons to cultivate more wonder. It's good for us! To understand why we would want more wonder, and how to experience it, check back next week as I continue on the theme of wonder.
