I wonder how many people in the modern world could actually claim to feel amazement? Sadly, it seems that amazement is considered incredibly unfashionable. We no longer laugh loudly, giggle with excitement or gush verbally, expressing our amazement at the things that happen in our life. We maintain an almost demure composure, keeping an expressionless face lest anyone think that we are unsophisticated.
This reaction bears little resemblance to the stimulus. The world is full of amazing things, awe-inspiring events and inventions and actions all worthy of a gasp and a “Wow!” rather than the currently preferred shrug and “Whatever!”
Yet that feeling of amazement is one of the most precious gifts that we can give ourselves. I choose to feel amazed. I choose to open my windows during a storm and sit in awe of the noise, the smell, the light created by such a simple chore of nature. I choose to feel amazed that such a crowded concrete landscape can be rendered so beautiful by a few drops of water and a flash of electricity.
The only way that we can lose our feeling of amazement is by allowing ourselves to. The fashionable world will surely try to keep you bored and disinterested but you can fight it. Strangely, amazement is an energy that feeds itself. Allow yourself a simple rush of amazement today – the easiest way is to find something simple in nature like a sunrise. Don’t label it, or compare it or photograph it. Just enjoy it and feel amazed at what you see, hear or smell.
Amazement is surprisingly like gratitude. Every time something amazes me, I find myself feeling grateful. Grateful that I was granted the opportunity to share the moment, grateful that I have the sense to appreciate it and grateful that I am alive and part of an amazing world. Gratitude for being alive tends to make me notice more amazing things. I am no longer losing my feeling of amazement but instead, growing it daily!
If you feel like you are losing your feeling of amazement, fight back. What will you find that amazes you?