At Such An Age

I sat down to write today and felt like I had nothing but that I needed to write anyway, not just to try to meet a quota but because although I had a very positive and productive day I also had a very busy and draining day. I read a couple blogs, looked at some notes I’d written down recently for inspiration but still, finding nothing, I decided to pull out my old quote book. I flipped open to a random page and the second quote I read, written in pink fluorescent ink, brought a smile to my face and a certain energy to my mind.

Oh, to be alive at such an age when miracles are everywhere and every inch of common air throbs a tremendous prophecy of greater marvels yet to be.”

– Walt Whitman

When I was a child I saw such wonder in the world – in nature, in words, in music, in people. I find as I’ve grown so much of that wonder has ceased to be quite so . . . wonderful. I’m sure that’s the case for many of us. The thing is though, to an extent, it doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, we may never quite capture that childlike innocence, excitement, and awe at the world that we once did but without a doubt we are still alive at such an age when miracles are everywhere. If we take a moment, open our eyes – perhaps our hearts – and really look we can see that wonder in a budding plant, in the smile of a stranger, the amazing canvas we’ll see if we take a moment to actually look at the sky, or in the gentle touch of a loved one. It may sound a little ‘hokey’ but I believe it to be true, and I believe that in taking those moments to marvel at the world around we’ll also be taking a moment to let go of or put aside, if only for a moment, those things that have stolen the childlike wonder we were born with.