During times of great change and upheaval, it can be easy to focus on what we’ve lost–whether it’s a personal loss, perhaps related to a job or a relationship; or a more universal loss, such as the daily interactions we all shared before the arrival of the current pandemic.

It is understandable and in fact highly advisable to grieve those losses. Pretending nothing has changed is unlikely to do much good! And yet, in addition to the grieving, it is also important to give space to a sense of wonder, at all that is developing anew in this time of change, and all the resilience and strength we may have uncovered within ourselves.

It may seem as though the experience of wonder and amazement is something that just happens to you. After all, so much of this experience is defined by a healthy sense of letting go of control, and just getting bowled over by something miraculous or beautiful–a desert sunset, perhaps, or the sudden laughter of your child. And while that feeling of being joyfully taken by surprise feels uncontrollable, it doesn’t always have to happen completely by accident.

Meditation teacher Sally Kempton once said, “enlightenment is an accident, and meditation makes us accident-prone.”  While I’ve never been exactly sure what “enlightenment” really is, I do know that the experience of wonder is adjacent to it–it connects us to something bigger than ourselves, to an experience of gratitude just for being alive. And when we deliberately take the time to focus on something without distraction, we open ourselves up to wonder.  Doing things that help to improve focus–whether meditating, dancing, or keeping a gratitude journal–help to build the mental muscle that makes the experience of wonder more likely to hit us.

We wish you all a happy, healthy, wonder-ful February!