The Habit of Wonder

I recently toured a local tulip festival with my daughters and my mom. It was stunningly beautiful. The blooms were arranged in orderly rows, yet they were riotous in their variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. It was so joyful to simply wander—gazing, exclaiming, and taking a million pictures. We had no timeline, no agenda, and no reason to rush. We were present in the moment, soaking in all the natural beauty that surrounded us.

But I could have easily missed it. If I had not intentionally set aside Sunday as a day of rest, my afternoon could have been filled with work instead of wonder. I am, by nature, a task-oriented person who loves to cross items off my to-do list. With my head down and my focus on doing the "next thing," I could have robbed myself of the simple joy of noticing nature.

Fortunately, I have built margin into my weekly rhythm. Resisting the urge to work brings rejuvenation; likewise, allowing space for wandering and wondering fosters a sense of peace and joy. This rhythm creates a day to turn my eyes away from lists and screens and toward the things that truly matter—my faith and my family.

We don’t have to go to a tulip festival to find natural beauty; we are surrounded by it every day. We just don’t necessarily notice it because we are distracted by many things. While we do have full lives with plenty of tasks to accomplish, what if we made “slowing and noticing” one of our to-do list items? Could we build into our daily and weekly rhythms some habits of gazing and exclaiming?

If you’ve ever gone on a walk with a young child, you’ve seen wandering, gazing, and exclaiming in action. They see the tiny ant, the pretty weed, and the cloud that looks like a fish. They don’t want to just keep moving, allowing only a passing glance. No, they want to stop, to investigate, and to ask. They want to take time to wonder.

In the busyness of adult life, we often lose that. We might see a beautiful sunset, but we don’t stop and absorb the moment; we’re just on to the next thing. We might hear the birdsong, but through the noise of multitasking, the melody fades into the background, unnoticed.

I don’t want to get to the end of my life and think, “What was I in such a big hurry for all the time?” I refuse to regret what all that hurry made me miss. Instead, I want to intentionally create habits of slowing, noticing, gazing, and wondering—savoring the sounds or simply the silence, and exclaiming over the beauty that brings a smile to my face. I want to enjoy the natural world around me, free from distraction and fully present.

What about you? Do you have a habit of wonder? When was the last time you went for a walk without your earbuds in and truly listened to nature? Not a power walk, but a wander. When was the last time you watched the sunset until the sun slipped below the horizon? Not a passing glance, but an intentional stopping and gazing.

If you can’t remember the last time, let me invite you to create some space this week to do so. Intentionally start a small daily habit, a full day of Sabbath, or both! Simply slow down, walk outside, and see what’s going on in nature. Spring is calling—go savor her beauty.

Simply,

Stefani

P.S. If you don’t yet have a daily and weekly rhythm you can click here to get started…