What If Wonder Is The Point All Along?

There’s something I’ve been thinking about lately—something that snuck up on me somewhere between sipping my morning Nespresso and trying to glimpse the sliver of sun trying to sneak through the windows on the far side of the office. It’s something I’ve thought about before. I’ve written about it before, too.

We spend so much time reaching, striving, hustling toward something, anything, that might mean we’re doing it ‘right’ (whatever that is!). We chase productivity, measure ourselves against milestones and metrics (our own or someone else’s), and try to hold it all together with a well-curated smile.

But in all of that... when do we pause? When do we ask the question that might change everything? Which is: What if the point was never to arrive at the end point but to notice things along the way? You know the saying it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey? That – that is what I’m talking about.

But it’s easier said than done, right? I’m all about rushing towards the goal and not stopping to notice the little goal posts and milemarkers along the way.

That question has become a kind of quiet companion for me lately. I don’t know the answer of how to do it. So I keep pondering it, trying to get it to sink in.

Because here’s the idea I’ve been playing with:

What if wonder is the quiet language of gratitude?

If you’re here you’ve probably gathered that my publication generally circles around trying to live more wonder-fully – that is, with more wonder (even if it’s just a dose!).

Not the Instagrammable kind of gratitude that checks off boxes or sounds noble when spoken aloud.

Not even the kind that makes it into your bullet journal (though, yes—there are many moments for that too, and you’ll find a few of them in my upcoming Wonder Kit, which is brewing behind the scenes!).

I’m talking about a more subtle kind of gratitude. That arises not because something extraordinary happened—but simply because you noticed something ordinary, and it moved you. The everyday gratitude that we probably miss 1000 times a day because we weren’t fully paying attention in just the right way.

It’s the pause you didn’t mean to take.

The flicker of a moment that feels like a message meant only for you.

Gratitude, I’m learning, isn’t always about being thankful or grateful for. I always thought that’s what it was – something to be thankful for.

But I think it’s also about simply being present with …everything – with the pain and the wonder, the dark and the light, with the cracked and the healed.

You might remember a piece I wrote called Beautiful in the Breaking: The Art of Becoming Whole. In it, I talked about the Japanese art of kintsugi, the practice of mending broken pottery with gold. And how maybe our own fractures are part of our beauty—not flaws to hide, but stories we carry.

Wonder works the same way. It doesn’t ask us to fix anything. It just asks us to see it—to be with it. To feel the weight and the lightness of the moment at the same time.

And here’s the thing I keep coming back to – about gratitude. Wonder is how gratitude moves.

It’s the push and pull of noticing and being moved. The goosebumps on your arms when you hear the first few notes of a song that really resonates with you, or when you see the sky turn a beautiful array of vivid colours at sunset (or sunrise), or when you spot a tiny flower pushing through a crack in the pavement.

It’s the moment you think, “I get to be alive for this.” Even if it lasts for just a second. Even if nothing else makes sense and if everything is still messy.

A Dose of Wonder Practice for You

So here’s a gentle invitation. No pressure. No checklist. Just a soft opening.
A Tiny Dose of Wonder Practice for You

So here’s a gentle invitation. No pressure. No checklist. Just something to be open to.

For one day let wonder be your only to-do. Let yourself look at the world with fresh eyes – a beginners mind. Like you were just dropped into this moment, into this life, this body—and everything is new.

I heard something recently on the Optimal Living Daily podcast (which I highly recommend – daily 10 minute podcasts where the narrator reads short articles on subjects that can ‘optimize your life’). The narrator was talking about bringing a sense of play and fun into even the most mundane or difficult tasks. The point wasn’t to pretend things are always great—it was to shift your lens. To find the thread of wonder, even in places that feel dull or heavy or stuck.

Because wonder doesn’t only live in the beautiful parts of life. It also lives in the in-between, the uncertain, the murky bits.

So give it a try. Let your senses lead the way.

You can do things like:

Feel the heat of your mug in your hands.

Listen closely to the way someone says your name.

Notice the way the light hits the floor at 4:23 PM.

Smell the air after it rains (I love the smell of petrichor!).

Taste your coffee like it’s the first sip you’ve ever had.

You don’t have to document it. You don’t need to share it.

Just feel it and let that be enough.

What If This Is It?

Maybe this is the invitation we’ve been missing all along.

Not to build a life so impressive that everyone claps. That’s fine once in a while, but it shouldn’t be something we hang our hat on.

The point is mot to hustle our way toward joy or happiness, but to remember that joy often shows up in stillness, presence, the simple things in life. In the parts we almost missed.

Maybe wonder is the reminder we need most right now—not as an escape, but as a return, away back to ourselves and this present moment

Because here’s the truth: Gratitude doesn’t have to be a grand gesture.

Sometimes, it’s just noticing that you’re here - that you’re alive, awake, breathing. That you have the opportunity to experience, as the Mary Oliver poem says: your one wild and precious life, and allows you to experience the small wonders, if you’re willing to listen (as the W.B. Yeats quote goes:

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

And maybe that’s the point.

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Your Dose of Wonder
If this stirred something in you, you might enjoy the Wonder Kit—a printable and digital experience I’ve created to help you reconnect with awe, gratitude, and the simple magic of being alive. It’s full of prompts, practices, and tiny tools for slowing down and paying attention.

It's coming real soon so keep your eyes peeled (and subscribe/follow to get notified, if you aren't already!)

And if you want to keep receiving gentle reminders to live with a dose of wonder, you can subscribe (or share this with a fellow wonder-seeker).

Don't forget:
You don’t have to chase awe. You just have to make space for it.

If this letter found you at the right time, feel free to share it with someone else who might need a little wonder today.

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