A few years ago, when everyone was choosing words for their new year resolution, I thought I was cool enough to join in and chose the word Wonder.
I thought it would be good for me in both of its definitive forms. As a writer and a new grad-student, I needed to stay curious about the world and continue to wonder about the how and why of things. As a new grad-student and newly full-time employed by someone else mother, I needed to focus on the wonder in the world rather than the chaos and minutiae that was threatening to drag me down on the daily.
So, I started Wonder Wednesdays here on the blog, where I shared the wonder of my week. Sometimes they were big and sometimes the wonder was simply the way the sun came through my kitchen window at just the right angle to warm my soul on a cold day.
Three years later, as the world outside that kitchen window seems to go crazier with each passing day, and the world inside is changing by the second, it occurs to me that I would benefit from slowing down to focus on the wonder. Because, it’s still there, perhaps underneath the madness and chaos of life, but it is there.
Like today, driving to work after leaving a sick kid at home, dropping one early for a field trip and driving in circles to drop the other one off on time for school, I drove to work with an inordinate amount of traffic. I had a lot on my mind and most of it was not good.
Then, I turned onto the street that leads directly to the courthouse and had to stop for a mom and child crossing the street, I’m assuming, on their way to school. The first thing I noticed was the kid was dressed for winter (UGH!) in a ski-cap and heavy coat. Before I got too cranky about that cold weather in mid-May, I noticed they were walking hand in hand and both were laughing; big, hearty, whole-face-smile laughs. It was delightful to see.
We all know kids love their moms. We all know moms love their kids. But when you get to see moms and sons truly enjoying each other’s company, that’s special. Some may even say: WONDERful.
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