stevie {who?}

One of my favorite sentiments is wonder, really it is.

...now before you roll your eyes and laugh at me under your breath do understand that, yes I have a lot of time on my hands and frequently play a competitive game of 'what if' vs. 'I wonder' but no, I won't be launching into rhetoric of a free lovin, gypsy dreamin, unrealistic escape plan from my little ole life.

I really love and appreciate this six letter beauty because it's nature comes with innocent intent, it is oozing with a sense of awe & admiration and has an inevitable impact, mostly positive.

I most easily associate wonder with children as their fresh eyes and little minds experience and absorb simple concepts in a "the sky's the limit" kind of way. No matter the content of their wonder or the extreme of their amazement, wonder ignites attainability...that's powerful, I say.

We were randomly watching the movie Apollo 13 today and I asked my almost brother-in-law Andrew if he ever wanted to be an Astronaut when he was a kid, to which he quickly replied with joy in his voice, "oh yeah, of course!". It's what I expected him to say because I really think all little boys do....and understandably so...I mean really, who would turn down the chance to wear a cool outfit, float in outer space and eat dippin dots? {not me or even many of my fellow little girl friends!}

I enjoyed hearing him immediately launch into stories of his childhood dreams of being a NASA superstar and how he vividly remembered visiting Cape Canaveral and watching a spaceshuttle launch. As I became captivated by his words, it soon dawned on me that in our world, the sense of wonder he was expressing seems to be dwindling and the impact of this simple word is ceasing to exist.

I think the core of wonder is primarily contributed to the unknown and I fear that technology is quickly ripping apart layers of wonder exposing the core too honestly and with much to easy accessibility. As we know, anything can be discovered and uncovered on the Internet...anything(!)...and with only the simple touch of a keyboard. So this immediate and vast exposure to information strips away a sense of mystery, creative and educated thought processes, vulnerability and well, wonder.

This really saddens me and I think mainly because I associate so many of my greatest memories as a kid to the sweet mystery, amazement and awe of a variety of things. And most of all, I'm sad that in my young 20-something years I am witnessing a dying emotion at the hand of mankind and in the name of progress.

Maybe this doesn't matter in the big scheme of things and maybe I'm wrong (?)..but for now, I'll take a seat next to Mother Nature and we'll cry together in our utopia soup.