Diane Ackerman in her book Deep Play writes,
“Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time.”
I might add, from personal experience, that a tiny fleck of wonder can also act as a powerful drug which can drop a dollop of hope into a bucket of despair… and make a difference.
Maybe you’ve read some of the words on my website or followed my presence on social media; perhaps you’ve taken an in-person workshop with me where I’ve given much credit to the restorative properties of my creative practices.
It seems as if some of the greatest challenges in my life can somehow be balanced by a constant awareness of the smallest of wonders. I am not sure how this works, the alchemical properties of wonder. How can observing the fancy lace of early morning frost on a windowpane or the glitter of raindrops on a spider’s web make any difference? What miracles are freely dispensed when listening to the whirr of the geese’s wings as they skim just above the roofline? How can observing the rising moon as it breaks through a low misting mist offset a heavy heart and an edging sense of despair?
I do not know how it can be enough to make a difference, but usually, it is. Wonderment taken in small doses throughout one’s day does make a difference.
There is a century-old ornament hanging from the boughs of a tree in my living room today, infusing memories into the room of a grandmother who hung that same ornament on her Christmas tree! A source of wonderment! What WONDERMENT showed up in your world today?
*** This is the kind of question that is asked, the sort of practices we share together in Contemplative Creatives Journey. We explore our close-in world through words, collaborative poetry, art, and much more. We begin the 10-week Winter session on January 15, 2020. Here is the link to my offer.
About Bo Mackison
