What are the moments in your life that you experienced genuine wonder?

[fatalrendezvous]

Just that sort of honest, almost innocent, pure wonder? The kind of touching moment where you are in awe at the world?

I happened to be at SeaWorld San Diego over the weekend with my husband and our son who is now almost 2. We'd visited SeaWorld before when he was much younger but I don't think he could really process or understand what he was seeing then. Now, though, he looks at the dolphins and the whales and otters and sea lions and seems to get it. He's still learning but it was amazing to watch him become aware of all the beauty and diversity of the different kinds of life we have in the world.

I bring this up because watching my son in awe at sea life reminded me of my honeymoon. When my husband and I got married, we went on a cruise in the Caribbean, and one of our stops was in Cozumel, Mexico. We had an excursion in Cozumel where we swam with dolphins for like half a day and it was honestly one of the most amazing, wondrous and magical experiences in my life. Just being able to play with them and interact with them, it was so unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

Honestly it was the most in touch I've ever felt with nature and it was incredible, even if the dolphins were trained for it.

What about you? When did you experience childlike wonder and amazement? Was it watching a historical event unfold, interacting with nature, learning about space? Maybe it was with family, watching someone do something amazing, watching a magician? Let's hear your stories!

 

[Dipper]

When I was seven I cried the first time I saw a giraffe.

 

[Shiri]

When I go to dinosaur exhibits. There's always so much to look at, and the displays are usually full sized, and it is SO COOL! I remember when my friends first took me to Dinosaurs Alive. Here we are in our late 20s standing in line with a bunch of parents and their kids. xD I got to touch a Megalodon tooth, it was worth it.

 

[Joan]

When I went to Colorado and saw the beauty of mountains for the first time.

 

[Greenie]

Whenever I look up at the night sky, and especially someplace where there isn't much light pollution. Just seeing all those stars in the sky is breathtaking.

In the same way, whenever I look at clouds :D As a kid I would spend loads of time just laying back on the grass in my backyard and staring up at the clouds. Even now, to be honest. They're just amazing.

 

[PoetLore]

When I held my first child in my arms. He was so perfect and soft and beautiful and I remember thinking, wow...I made this...humbling and marvelous.

 

[Aero Blue]

When I stood on the Great Wall and felt such wonder at how little wonder I felt.

I'm gonna be honest it's when I let the fat portion of a bite of pork belly melt in my mouth.

 

[Cyan]

When I first saw the ocean, at the age of ~13/14. I'm Californian, born and raised, but I always lived in a landlocked area, and couldn't go out too far due to issues of transportation. So, I was on a field trip with one of my middle school classes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and that's on the ocean, of course, so I was like "Woaaaah" seeing this huge expanse of water that had sometimes felt like a myth.

Another is my convention experience! I went to a local convention just a few years back, when Pokémon Go was still big (I remember, as I bought a Team Valor button), and it was just really nice. I ultimately left like a couple hours after, because I had no money, and also was too shy to ask anyone if I could take photos of their cosplays (so, nothing to do, really). Despite that, I was so excited and happy, and stuff.

 

[Ardent]

I went to a remote beach when I was seventeen. It was a six or seven-hour drive but worth it. There were hardly any people, no establishments, no internet. It was nice and quiet.

By the time I arrived, the sun was already setting. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen... or so I thought. When night finally fell and the billions of stars came out, I was knocked out of my breath. I couldn't stop staring at the sky, even if it broke my neck. There were shooting stars every few minutes. Everything else felt so insignificant at that moment. I wanted to lie right there on the beach until dawn because I feared I wouldn't see anything like it again.

And I was right.

 

[junebug]

Hawaii. There really is a strong sense of harmony and peace there. It's unlike any other place I've experienced and it doesn't matter than Hawaii has cities and other places have cities. If you go through those cities, you will still feel that authentic and beautiful aloha in the atmosphere. It's one of the reasons why I want to live there. When I visited Hawaii for the first time, that is when I made it my future long term goal to live there. It really is so beautiful.

 

[RX Inoxia]

Learning to swim, water was the huge monster (age 3-4) I was going to get lost in, and I was scared. But forced into it, I realized...it was where I wanted to be the most! I didn't want to leave, I WANTED to be lost in there. Could hardly get me out. If I wasn't such a lazy sob, I might have become a competitive swimmer. I was venturing into the deeper water alone and doing just fine sans any floaties at that age because I just "took off" so to speak. Until life guards made me get back to shallow water.

IF you look at it a darker way, I was suicidal as a toddler, whether it be trying to lose myself in water or trying to drive away in mom's car, turning it back on with the key mom left, crawling under the seat to find the gas, pulling it out of park, trying to turn the wheel as it slid down the slope...

There's nothing like flying in the sky to be sure. If I was confident I wouldn't die horribly I'd probably love sky diving. But for now making sure I get a window seat on flights is good enough. I dream of being able to fly, looking down at clouds for the first time blew me away and still does.

Finally, the simple comfort of the wilderness, wind in the trees, sounds of animals, no technology, cooking up some tea over a wood burning stove, man the times at the family cabin were good. Not for everyone, but personally filled me with wonder and comfort.