When I was a child, a pond was an incredible universe. I observed it with childlike wonder. Tadpoles were wondrous creatures. One day they have no legs and live underwater, and then they transform; their tails disappear, they grow legs and live outside the water. As children we do not question this transformation, we just accept it as part of the wonders that occur in our world, in our little pond.
Wonder is defined as a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. Sadly, for many of us, sometime during our childhood, we lose our sense of wonder. The good news is that within each of us, this sense of wonder remains, lying dormant, waiting to be rekindled.
Those who have had their sense of wonder suppressed, need only find their muse, their inspiration. It may come in many forms at any point in our lives. A poem, song, painting or person can reawaken it.
We call those who embrace wonder, artists and creators. They are driven by something within, needing to be expressed. They transform thoughts and ideas, bringing them into existence. They produce works appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.
Returning to our pond, without a sense of wonder, it appears like a place filled with muck and mire. Now with childlike eyes, look all around and see the beauty. Notice the beautiful lotus flower basking in the sun. It sits atop a lily pad being fed from the stalk buried in the mud below. Swimming below are turtles, frogs, crayfish and all manner of fish. Take the time to admire each, and you will see art.
The same can be said of a field of flowers, the woodlands, and the beach. Stop and admire, let the wonder fill you, and rejoice in it like a child.
"Nature is the art of God. —Dante Alighieri"