Childlike Wonder

In high school, throughout college and during my first years as a music therapist, I worked with mentally disabled children and adults, encouraging them to build life skills through the beats and vibrations of music. I always loved being with these ’special needs’ people. They are special indeed. I delighted in how they found joy in the most simple things, their sense of things material less blocked than the rest of us who trudge through our days sometimes almost numb.

What would it be like if we could once again, approach life with childlike wonder – seeing the world as an adventure? Courageously stepping forth and being in awe of the miracles that abound. We can do that combining it with discernment and our modern-day wisdom to make choices and act in the most conscious way each moment of each day.

I delight in the littlest things these days, as I have for years. For example, I need someone to help me make sense of all the technology involved in uploading audio files, creating this website, etc. etc. I have a virtual assistant who is great but I needed someone I could ‘touch’ too. Within seconds of putting an ad in my Time Bank’s newsletter I got a response – someone who meets all my criteria, even the things I didn’t mention in the ad like “being an MIT student a plus”.

Little things like that make my day. They add up too. The more I notice the more they occur, making life a lot easier and fun. The Dalai Lama says the purpose of life is to be happy. That works for me – since much of my life I have had an underlying sadness. Even in the darkest times I look for the blessing in the middle. I know it is there. It has to be. Because I know there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Life is an adventure, especially if we approach it that way.

Join the conversation: What miracles abound in your life? How might paying attention to the details make you happy?