The Wonder Walk

When I was a child, there were mornings I would wake up convinced that the day was full of magic. Typically, it was a warm, drizzly sort of spring morning, and I had a feeling that SOMETHING might just happen today. On those sorts of days, I would pack a bag with all I might need should adventure come calling. You know, a Swiss army knife, embroidery thread and a slice of American cheese. Now that I am grown, I might still wake up to such days, but unless the day just so happens to coincide with a holiday where we have nothing else going on (a rare occurrence), I will likely miss the moment altogether.

Thus, a protocol is needed to ensure that even as an adult, my life is still chock full of wonder. 

Now, Wednesday is for wonder walking. It is a habit, a protocol with a catchy mnemonic repeated with enough frequency to be a consistent gold thread in the texture of our weeks, months and years. Wonder Wednesday is the day the kids and I walk outside and look for wonders. It is a time when the weather does not matter much (there are wonders in all kinds of weather). One day the wonder might be animal tracks, lichen or owl pellets. Another might be peony sprouts, a bird's nest, or water gliders on the creek. It is when I downshift a gear and move at the pace of discovery. 

Wonder and protocol don't seem to go together. But like fasting and feasting, they are somehow friends, each breathing life into the other. I wish all the days could be wild ones, where I could wander about at will and follow every curiosity where it leads. But I have chased down many wonders in my life, and they have led me to places where I have chosen to root in and go into territories that the wind cannot take you. That is a good and healthy part of growing. Yet we still need those threads of wonder sparking the warp of our days. 

So, Happy Wonder Wednesday, Y’all!