I don't know about you, but I feel that as I grow older, the moments of genuine wonder in my life are becoming increasingly rare.

In my youth, I would have attributed this feeling to the external world around us.

If we find ourselves trapped in the monotonous routines that occupy most of our time, how can we expect to continue experiencing wonder? It's as though we believe wonder must stem from something novel or unexpected.

However, after much contemplation and deliberate reflection on my younger years when I frequently experienced the sensation of wonder, I'm not entirely convinced that this emotion is primarily influenced by external factors.

Wonder-full People

I'm sure we all have someone in our lives who seems to have a deeper connection to this emotion than we can fully comprehend.

If you haven't encountered such a person, I encourage you to seek one out.

They serve as remarkable examples of how to rediscover wonder in our own lives.

These individuals often exhibit childlike qualities. They find joy in the smallest moments, appreciate the present without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, and view familiar things as if they were experiencing them for the first time.

They express gratitude for whatever they have, regardless of whether it's abundant or scarce.

When I'm in the company of such individuals, my overly analytical and overly serious self, perpetually in search of what comes next, sharply contrasts with their world view.

The most poignant realization is recognizing that I don't need to be the person I just described. In fact, there have been times in my life when I possessed the qualities that fill these people's lives with wonder.

Somewhere along the way, life may have eroded those capacities, but there's hope in understanding that an emotion that can be taken away can also be restored.

In other words, it's not inherent in me to be incapable of experiencing wonder; it lies within my power to change.

So, as I embark on this journey, I choose to dissect, to the best of my ability, the factors that appear to bring the perception of wonder to these people.

Here's what I've come up with.

Ignorance

Not in a negative sense, though. Ignorance is merely the absence of knowledge or experience regarding something.

The best way to grasp this element of wonder is by recalling the perspective of a child.

As a child, your knowledge was limited, and everything you encountered was a new discovery, a small miracle.

In your youth, you could find wonder in anything. I vividly remember going to the small-town mall as a child and being struck with wonder every time I entered a store like "The Buck or Two." The array of new toys and cool gadgets felt overwhelming.

Then, my mom took me to the food court, and I tried almond chicken at a Chinese kiosk for the first time. My mind was blown; I had never experienced such aromas and flavors before.

Everything was fresh, everything was exciting, and I was learning about the world with every new place, person, sight, or smell I encountered.

So, it's easy to experience this as a child when you genuinely know very little about the world. But how do we regain a sense of ignorance as adults?

To me, this question revealed my own reluctance to remain ignorant about anything.

In the age of information, almost everything we want to know is readily available on our smartphones. When we seek to do something, go somewhere, acquire a skill, or answer a question, we turn to the all-knowing device we carry with us at all times.

This tendency takes away the wonder of discovery from our lives.

Imagine traveling before the 2000s – no Google Maps, no internet travel blogs, no online reviews, and no YouTubers showcasing every picturesque destination. You had physical maps and books, but they provided only limited information about the experience you were about to have.

During that era, you ventured into a new country with minimal prior knowledge. You allowed wonder to unfold around you because your lack of preconceived notions about your trip and the location left room for genuine exploration.

What a concept that was.

Surprisingly, we still have that choice today. We don't need to research and consume everyone else's experiences of something before we do it. We can put our phones down and let the journey take us where it may at times.

Maybe that's a relatively simple place to begin.

Could embracing our ignorance be the key to rediscovering wonder?

Presence

As I mentioned earlier, the adults who maintain a sense of wonder are typically firmly rooted in the present moment.

Once again, my thoughts often drift back to my childhood. As children, our worlds are less complicated, and we bear fewer responsibilities, which naturally keeps us in the present moment.

As a child, I was never preoccupied with what lay ahead or what happened five minutes ago. It felt like a continuous flow into whatever was right in front of me.

However, as we transition into adulthood, our lives become increasingly complex, responsibilities pile up, and we often find ourselves oscillating between states of anxiety (worrying about the future) and depression (dwelling on the past). Staying present becomes an ongoing challenge, even though it's a crucial key to experiencing wonder.

A moment this morning perfectly encapsulated this concept for me. We've been diligently planting seeds, preparing for the winter growing season. Our success has been quite varied, to say the least.

Lately, I've been consumed by the quest to purchase land somewhere and embark on the project we've always dreamed of. It's been a stressful process: searching for the "right" property, brainstorming funding options, pitching the idea to others, and assessing our own financial situation.

My sleep quality has suffered, which is unusual for me. Typically, I sleep like a rock, but lately, my dreams have been chaotic and often negative, filled with thoughts of money, failure, stress, and feeling unsupported.

I fell into a negative morning routine, sifting through emails about properties and browsing new listings or funding possibilities. Looking back, it's evident that this was not a healthy way to start my day. I usually ended up feeling defeated and hopeless, as I was beginning my day obsessing over a possibly distant future.

Laurel came over while I was buried in my phone, hurriedly sipping my morning coffee. She exclaimed with childlike excitement, "Baby, look, all of our seeds are sprouting!"

In my grumpy, stressed, and fatigued state, I shrugged it off and returned to my less-than-ideal morning routine. It wasn't until later that I realized I had allowed my projections of the future to completely overshadow the joy and wonder of the present moment. It wasn't a proud moment for me, but it was a powerful lesson.

The fact that our seeds had sprouted is incredible. It's a tiny, often overlooked miracle of this world – life, potential, energy, and food, all from a single tiny seed and the elements coming together.

That was a moment to experience wonder, just as Laurel had. Unfortunately, I had chosen to fixate on the future and missed it.

It makes me wonder how many other moments in our lives we miss because we choose to dwell on the past or focus on the future.

Remaining present at all times is no easy task, but if we are conscious of our own awareness, we can be more diligent about choosing the present. This applies regardless of where we are – at work, with family, or by ourselves.

Being present in all of these situations is often the best thing we can do. It allows us to perform at our highest potential, show care and love for those around us, and uncover the beliefs and habits within ourselves that may be hindering our potential.

It's a lesson I've encountered numerous times, and it continues to require work. It always will. If we stop practicing anything, we lose our ability to do it.

Being present is no different; it's something we must deeply integrate into our lives if we wish to experience more of the wonder this world has to offer.

To Be Continued…

I aim to make these letters as digestible as possible. This week, I'll share only these two key points, and we'll continue the article next week.

I'd also like to request feedback from all of you who read this newsletter. You can reply directly to this email if you wish.

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For me, this is an opportunity to offer you a deeper glimpse into our lives, experiment with writing ideas and styles, and, hopefully, improve with practice.

As this newsletter continues to grow, I want to ensure that I'm delivering value to all of you who generously spend your precious time with us.

And, of course, it's always wonderful to hear from you, whether it's in the comments or through the many emails we've received over time.

-Bren

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