The Lost Art of Wandering and Wonder / November MuseLetter

How seldom we heed these pivotal and fertile times in our lives. Instead, we brush them aside as winsome flights of fancy, or drown them in the artificial pursuit of amassing 'more stuff'. Post-modern consumerism clearly does not foster pausing and respectfully listening to the inherent intelligence of these sacred promptings. But when it's all said and done, we've two choices:

1) Do nothing, just leave things as they are and have been
2) Trust your instincts, and surrender to the call of the unknown

For some, this may entail learning a new language or taking up kick-boxing, for others, it may mean leaving an unsatisfying career or trekking Nepal. Our capacity for wonder comes from the inside out, it begins in the imagination and ignites a vital and informed invitation in us and we either choose to give birth to change and the unfamiliar or remain status quo.

People don't want their problems solved,

their stories resolved, their messes cleaned up.

Because what would they have left?

Just the big scary unknown.

- Chuck Palahniuk

The real surprise, however, is recognizing that the journey has already begun; you are immersed in it at this very moment. In fact, we are continuously living 'unknown moments'; we've just become frozen in the over-identification of them. We are so indoctrinated to "know", to be future-oriented and the devoted accumulators of tangible things that we scarcely recognize the enormous creative intelligence that imagination and the indefinable bring to us. I'm not advocating the obliteration of having goals and making long-term plans, I'm just saying that all our tomorrows will eventually become present moments, so when do we start living in them?

Crossroads and Byways

While standing at that critical crossroad a few years back, the only thing I knew for sure: neither Los Angeles nor my birth home of Dallas were feasible options for my future home. So, I suspended production of my jewelry line, packed up everything I owned and put it into storage, acquired a rugged pair of Merrell trekking sandals and bought a one way ticket to Bangkok.

How often I found where I should be going
only by setting out for somewhere else.
- Buckminster Fuller

I turned 48 along the Mekong River. I met the humble chiefs of tiny Laotian villages, amputee beggars of Cambodia, the animist Ngada people of Bena, Flores. Steeped in the unfamiliar, I happened upon everyday-magic and the gift of unknown things.

And most surprising of all, while sitting in a quiet cafe along the Nam Song River, watching the longboats and listening to a Laotian girl singing, it all became crystal clear: I was going "home". And only then did I recognize that I had known all along.

There is no more expansive and awe-inspiring education than exploring the unfamiliar. And despite my fondness for third-world travel, wandering does not require a passport, money, maps, lipstick, permission or a college education. Matter of fact, you don't even have to leave home. Admission is free, it is always open and the only requirements are your imagination, willingness and trust

The ultimate way we relate to the world as something sacred is by renewing our sense of wonder.
- Sam Keen

Wandering (externally and internally) moves us beyond limiting paradigms and beliefs; it teases our perception and leads us into the inspired and boundless space of wonderment. It is both a great gift and an art, not for the feint of heart, and will indeed challenge, expand and change you.

To live authentically and vitally is to slow dance with the joys and sorrows, the wins and losses, the certainties and conundrums, the light and dark, the pristine and the very, very messy. It means embracing the paradoxical beauty and fragility of our humanness. A life of wonderment doesn't just happen to a chosen or lucky few, it is gifted to those willing to take the responsibility and risks to allow it to happen. Those who are willing to wander and wonder.

Therapist: "Regarding all this wandering around, Robyn, do you think there's something you're running away from?"

Robyn: "Oh, heavens, no. I'm always running toward."

Some people will think you've lost your mind. Others will envy you. A few may want to tag along, but don't let them. Tell them they have to conjure up their own wonder... because it's an inside job.

In Wonderment,

Robyn Lark Wakefield