Wonder

The din of modern life constantly pulls our attention away from anything that is slight, or subtle, or ephemeral. We might look briefly at a slant of light in the sky while walking through a parking lot, but then we're on to the next thing: the next appointment, the next flickering headline, the next task, the next thing that has to get done before the end of the day.

But maybe it's for just that reason - how busy we are and distracted and disconnected we are - that wonder really is a survival skill. It might be the thing that reminds us of what really matters, and of the greater systems that our lives are completely dependent on. It might be the thing that helps us build an emotional connection - an intimacy - with our surroundings, that, in turn, would make us want to do anything we can to protect them. It might build our inner reserves, give us the strength to turn outward and meet those challenges with grace.

~ H. Emerson Blake

From the lovely anthology Wonder and Other Survival Skills: A Selection of Essays from Orion Magazine