Why, How and Where to Wonder

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Yours truly is your Wonder Guide for episode 13!  I'll break down some simple, easy, fun and useful ways to wonder.

This episode I’m going to be your Wonder Guide.  And I’m going to do that by giving you some concrete steps that will inspire and motivate you get outside more easily often and confidently.

WONDER is the key. It’s easy to speed right on by that word. We’ve got texts to return, kids at home on zoom school, bill’s to pay and endless devices demanding our attention.

It’s ALL about WONDER

That sense that makes us slow down or speed up. That feeling of awe that leaves us speechless. That magical place where time stands still and we feel simultaneously small and all powerful at the same time. It’s a GREAT feeling.  It’s an IMPORTANT feeling.  It’s something we probably could stand to feel a LOT more of.

It took me more than 2 years to figure out the name of this podcast, this new venture. I knew Ranger Ted was good, catchy, fun and engaging but it wasn’t a big enough idea, it wasn’t universal enough.

So after lots of thinking and talking we all landed on wonder.   The next word was pretty obvious.  It’s the place where I’ve experienced wonder the most and helped others find it too: outside.

Yes, it’s got a nice similarity to the term wander which I also strongly believe in but it wasn’t because of that nice coincidence that I named the show Wonder Outside.

So let’s get to my theme for this episode: Why, how and where to wonder. Let’s start with the why.  Why Wonder?  No, really WHY should we WONDER? One, you and your loved ones will feel better and be healthier. You’ll feel better physically, emotionally and spiritually. One thing you can try to get that wonder muscle working again is to take a walk outside and say out loud, I wonder why ____________.  And just fill in the blank with whatever natural things you are encountering.  

If you RE-TRAIN your sense of wonder, suddenly you’ve taken (as Mark Hennessy says) a one minute vacation. 

The second reason to wonder is because wonder spreads. Have you ever had someone come up to you and say “YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!   That’s wonder in action. Wonder creates strong relationships. Wonder is about sharing with others. I want you to be that person who seems half crazy with excitement about something outside. Why wonder? Because wonder heals our planet. My wife and I didn’t preach to our 3 year old at the time that plastic is overtaking our oceans and all that garbage on our local beaches was the result of a disposable society that prizes convenience over all else. We just saw a bunch of trash on a beautiful beach and decided we’d better do something about it. 

And now our daughter simply expects (as she should) that our outdoor spaces should be nice and healthy and clean and safe….and that she’s part of the solution who is HAPPY to pick up trash. 
 
Three ways HOW to wonder. Ask, “What do you notice?” This is very important. Get rid of labels and knowledge (for a little while, at least) and just be curious. Two, go to the same place and/or go to a different place.  Find a sit spot. Go there regularly and start paying attention to your environment.  Also, if you are stuck in a routine, then go somewhere new and different. Finally, do not consult a device!  Deal with the weather. Trust your God-given instincts on what to wear and how to prepare..  Become obsessed with weather.  WHERE TO WONDER. Wonder right where you are.  Right in you own neighborhood, on you walk…see a place on your drive and go back there. There’s wonder all around you if you SLOW down and let it surround you. Make a plan for something BIG.  A National Park, a remote island, a road trip further thanyou’d ever imagined a road could go…  But STARTING that plan will fuel wonder. It’ll infect others around you.