No need to wander far.
Wonder is wherever you are.
That's it. That's all there is to this poem I wrote a few years ago. It's succinct. It's easy to remember. It reminds me to really see what I am looking at even though I have "seen" it a million times before. It reminds me that I can find wonder literally wherever I am sitting. Miracles abound in the beautiful and in the whimsical, in the broken and in the unsightly.
Retreating at Work
What brings you joy?
Earlier this week, we spent two days "retreating" at work. We discussed our purposes, our challenges, our hopes. In between the discussions heavy with metaphors and opinions, we each got 15 minutes to share our passions, our joys, our stress relievers. During those times, we got to take a nature walk on which we saw a snake and a turtle! We also planted flowers in cups, played name that tune, started bullet journals, and shared a list of recently read books.
When it was my turn, I shared my love for Wonderhunting. The Wonderhunt was created by Kim Kotecki of Escape Adulthood League fame. Thanks to Kim's inspiration, I have weathered a broken porch and my mother's death better than I otherwise would have. I have always walked to process the obstacles and sorrows in my life - I have been walking these same streets for 45 years; my introduction to Kim's Wonderhunt, though, has added an integral piece to that processing. Now when I walk, I not only process the low vibrations and release them, but I also search for wonder, beauty, and whimsy. These things bring me joy and comfort, gratitude and peace.
Discovering Wonder
Are you up for the challenges?
All the photos accompanying this writing are Wonderhunt discoveries. They are answers to specific Wonderhunt challenges or they are wonders that called my name while I was searching for something else. From the Wonderhunt book, "Winning at Twinning" is Challenge 18. Clearly, I ended up matching my bathroom that time I sought pink hair. I didn't intentionally ask for the hair color to match the bathroom color, yet the magic of the world allowed me to win as a twin for this specific challenge.
It is difficult for me to articulate how much Wonderhunting calms me down, allows me to breathe in this moment, and shows me the path to inner peace. Along with capturing the wonder with a camera, Wonderhunt challenges give me a chance to reflect on nature, life's adventures, and the ways of the world.
Here is an example of my responses to Wonderhunt challenges. This reflection from about seven months ago is in response to a challenge that prompts "highlight something that is both broken and beautiful."
Cracking Hearts
What is broken and beautiful?
The last time I faced Challenge #1: Wholehearted Living, my 4' 3" 65-pound, 80-year-old mother was sitting at a dining room table in a nursing home. I had told her that I was looking for something broken and beautiful. She said, "That's me!" but she wouldn't let me take a photo of her, so I submitted a picture of something else and told the story of her identifying herself as something broken and beautiful. She died on Nov. 5 (2021) not too long after I completed this challenge last year. So, I entered today's (October 2022) challenge with a heart cracked open wide with that memory. What was I going to find this time that was broken and beautiful?
I went to work and told my co-worker (who didn't know what I've just written for you) what my challenge for the day was. She said with a laugh, "That's me!" and she also wouldn't let me take her photo. I admit that a few tears ran down my cheeks as my cracked-open heart heard my dead mother speaking through my friend.
Flowing More Freely
What will surprise you?
While I had planned a morning break for completing this challenge, I didn't actually get to it until this afternoon when I took a walk in the IVCC courtyard. While my office window overlooks this courtyard, I rarely take my break out there. Today, however, I had to do so in order to complete this challenge. Surprisingly, no one was out there, and it was so serene. I took some photos of several beautiful things, some of them broken. This photo of a carving made out of a broken tree, though, captured perfectly how my heart is cracked multiple times, which just allows for beauty and love to flow through it more freely.
This particular wonder is literally outside my window every day, but it took a Wonderhunt challenge for me to view it in this way. I have taken most of the Wonderhunt challenges multiple times, and I have never completed them in the same way. I find myself in awe every single time that there is no need to wander far because wonder is wherever you are.
Sending you wishes for wonder-filled hunts and love flowing through your heart,
Angela Jane