The Radical Power of Being Amazed
In a world obsessed with certainty and control, wonder is quietly subversive. It doesn’t demand answers. It doesn’t seek efficiency. Wonder lives in the pause—the wide eyes, the full breath, the stillness before comprehension. It asks us not to master the world, but to be in relationship with its mystery.
July’s heat and brightness bring life into full expression. Sunflowers tilt toward the sky. Cicadas drone their ancient song. Fireflies flicker in the dark. It is a month of fullness, when the natural world offers up wonder with little effort. But the question is: are we paying attention?
Many of us lose our capacity for wonder as we age. We are trained to prioritize logic, predictability, and achievement. We favor knowing over noticing. In this posture, life becomes something to manage—problems to solve, lists to finish. Wonder, by contrast, invites us to stop striving and simply be with what is beautiful, mysterious, or vast. This shift—subtle as it may seem—can be transformative.
Psychologists have begun studying wonder and awe, finding that these states of mind increase generosity, reduce stress, and help us feel more connected to something larger than ourselves. When we feel awe, the boundaries of the self soften. We feel smaller, yes—but also more held. Wonder reminds us we are part of something we didn’t create and can’t control, and that realization can be deeply grounding.
Inner work creates the conditions for wonder. Through mindfulness, contemplation, and embodied practice, we begin to slow down enough to notice what’s always been there: the miracle of breath, the texture of a leaf, the kindness of a stranger. Wonder doesn’t require spectacle—it’s woven into the everyday. The crack in the sidewalk where a wildflower grows. The way a child looks at the moon. The sensation of music that moves through the body.
To practice wonder is to reclaim our capacity for awe and reverence. It is to remember that there is more to life than our plans. That there is wisdom beyond what we can explain. That the unknown is not always something to fear, but often something to cherish.
This month, consider how wonder might soften the edges of your life. What might happen if you let go of needing to figure everything out, and allowed yourself instead to be astonished?
Reflective Questions
When was the last time you felt a sense of wonder?
What makes you feel small in the best possible way?
Where in your life have you traded curiosity for control?
How would it feel to live with more reverence?
Practice for July
A Daily Wonder Walk
Choose a time each day—morning, lunch break, or evening—to take a 10-minute walk with only one goal: to notice. Leave your phone behind or on silent. As you walk, let your gaze be soft. Look up. Look down. Let yourself be led by curiosity.
Notice textures, colors, sounds, smells. What draws your attention? Where do you feel awe, surprise, delight? When something captures you, pause. Breathe. Take it in fully.
Afterward, jot down one thing that struck you. Over time, you may begin to notice that the ordinary world is more extraordinary than it first appeared.