Love this. The fact that the wonder we had as kids is just buried deep inside us and we need to coax it out really hits home. It reminds me of a quote: The world was never less extraordinary – we’ve just stopped noticing.
Excellent post, enjoyed it very much! Reading it, I realized I've been doing the type of things you describe to keep that sense of wonder in my life for many years, hardly conscious of why people would call my mental attitude towards discovering and enjoying 'childlike', but just now I understood where that came from a little better. Visual stimuli, sound or taste and smell can all trigger the amazement, even the brilliance of certain thoughts or forms of expression can fulfill me in that way, but I wonder whether it's the same thing in the mind. Maybe I should read the article/book you mentioned. Anyway, thank you for this! If you'd like it, I'm willing to share some of the art, literature, music, movies and ideas that triggered my sense of wonder with you.
thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experiences!
and on your final note - i would absolutely love that. i love experiencing what brings others wonder, i'm always looking to explore more :) whenever and whatever you feel like sharing will be much appreciated (you are very welcome to comment or share in the community chat, or if you ever make some sort of post, etc. please let me know!)
Hi Yana, here I am with two examples of what triggered my sense of wonder and has kept doing so. In a lot of my latest notes, I have instances of looking at a subject a little longer and discovering why it intrigues me so much. This is an example of something I learned as a child; looking at something longer than a few seconds and letting thoughts and associations flow freely. I think I have kept doing this as an adult, because it is so rewarding and as a photographer, makes you see things beyond what a first impression will give you, which can set off your creativity.
The other is an openness to the possibility of communicating with an animal, also stemming from my youth. I discovered as a child that some animals will silently or through their behavior interact with you, something I described in a post about a bird and how to photograph it. In my bird photography, I use this to get birds to come closer, which they often do. I'm not sure there's a scientific explanation to this phenomenon, but to me it is very real and I've come to rely on it. Hope this all makes sense to you.
i love this, thank you for sharing :) resting deeply in the present and letting your thoughts and experiences flow freely + remaining open to life's mysteries <3 really cool about the birds too haha!
Thank you for your reply! It's easy to share such moments and what triggered them, because it happens quite often. I will remember to let you know, you'll probably see it in this chat, whether it's the experience itself or a mention. Thank you again!
I find this interesting as a person diagnosed with ASD because I feel childlike wonder frequently! I wonder if that does have something to do with how sensitive I am to sensory input and how Autistic individuals have different amygdala development.
I get overwhelmed with excitement fairly often, by very mundane things. I still get giddy thinking about when I saw the sidewalk snowplows working last winter.
that’s such a beautiful perspective, and really insightful <3 it makes sense that heightened sensory sensitivity + different amygdala functioning could keep the door to wonder more open. what you described feels like exactly the kind of vivid, unfiltered aliveness so many of us are trying to find our way back to. thank you for sharing this :)
Wonderful follow up, and very interesting! How would one go about balancing the three brain networks mentioned at the end to create presence? Through meditation and mindfulness?
Gosh! No wonder these are the exact moments I’m drawn to - I feel such a natural pull toward them. I wonder though, does everyone experience this in the same way? Or are some people more drawn to these states than others? Maybe it's adults who still feel like children in some way who are especially sensitive to this pull. And perhaps those who can ignite these states often and practice being in them regularly, are actually wiser in a way not because they know more, but because they feel more. Maybe there’s no direct comparison to be made… but if one had to think about it, it does make you wonder.
such good points and questions - it's like you pulled them out of my own mind! i wonder about this stuff too haha. i feel like igniting these states often, practicing resting in them regularly, or even being able to recognize/notice the state when it comes up naturally make us more attuned to what presence feels like (and how good and peaceful it feels) and makes it easier to return, kinda like muscle memory. so i agree with your point about people who do this regularly being able to feel more, especially feel more presence (both when they are actively cultivating it, like through meditation, and just naturally throughout the day)!
thank you! and yes, exactly - meditation + mindfulness are two ways we can start to balance those networks (though not the only ways).
focused attention practices (meditation) help strengthen the brain’s executive control network (the part that steers attention), and open monitoring practices (mindfulness) help wake up the salience network (the part that notices what matters). both together gently quiet the default mode network (the part that pulls us into loops of thought).
i like to think of these practices as creating the conditions where presence can naturally arise - rather than trying to force presence into being. thank you for the thoughtful question <3 :)
Love this. The fact that the wonder we had as kids is just buried deep inside us and we need to coax it out really hits home. It reminds me of a quote: The world was never less extraordinary – we’ve just stopped noticing.
Curiosity! Practice it and delight in the process of wonder and exploration.
Excellent post, enjoyed it very much! Reading it, I realized I've been doing the type of things you describe to keep that sense of wonder in my life for many years, hardly conscious of why people would call my mental attitude towards discovering and enjoying 'childlike', but just now I understood where that came from a little better. Visual stimuli, sound or taste and smell can all trigger the amazement, even the brilliance of certain thoughts or forms of expression can fulfill me in that way, but I wonder whether it's the same thing in the mind. Maybe I should read the article/book you mentioned. Anyway, thank you for this! If you'd like it, I'm willing to share some of the art, literature, music, movies and ideas that triggered my sense of wonder with you.
thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experiences!
and on your final note - i would absolutely love that. i love experiencing what brings others wonder, i'm always looking to explore more :) whenever and whatever you feel like sharing will be much appreciated (you are very welcome to comment or share in the community chat, or if you ever make some sort of post, etc. please let me know!)
Hi Yana, here I am with two examples of what triggered my sense of wonder and has kept doing so. In a lot of my latest notes, I have instances of looking at a subject a little longer and discovering why it intrigues me so much. This is an example of something I learned as a child; looking at something longer than a few seconds and letting thoughts and associations flow freely. I think I have kept doing this as an adult, because it is so rewarding and as a photographer, makes you see things beyond what a first impression will give you, which can set off your creativity.
The other is an openness to the possibility of communicating with an animal, also stemming from my youth. I discovered as a child that some animals will silently or through their behavior interact with you, something I described in a post about a bird and how to photograph it. In my bird photography, I use this to get birds to come closer, which they often do. I'm not sure there's a scientific explanation to this phenomenon, but to me it is very real and I've come to rely on it. Hope this all makes sense to you.
i love this, thank you for sharing :) resting deeply in the present and letting your thoughts and experiences flow freely + remaining open to life's mysteries <3 really cool about the birds too haha!
Thank you for your reply! It's easy to share such moments and what triggered them, because it happens quite often. I will remember to let you know, you'll probably see it in this chat, whether it's the experience itself or a mention. Thank you again!
I wrote a song about this child like wonder! It’s called Ignorant. “I wanna be ignorant / I wanna be a little kid / no worries in the world”
i love this! is it on any platform? if you wanna share, i'm very deeply passionate about discovering new music haha <3
it’s on apple and spotify! Ignorant by Zoe Jennings <3
I find this interesting as a person diagnosed with ASD because I feel childlike wonder frequently! I wonder if that does have something to do with how sensitive I am to sensory input and how Autistic individuals have different amygdala development.
I get overwhelmed with excitement fairly often, by very mundane things. I still get giddy thinking about when I saw the sidewalk snowplows working last winter.
that’s such a beautiful perspective, and really insightful <3 it makes sense that heightened sensory sensitivity + different amygdala functioning could keep the door to wonder more open. what you described feels like exactly the kind of vivid, unfiltered aliveness so many of us are trying to find our way back to. thank you for sharing this :)
Absolutely fascinating - and thank you for concrete steps to reignite wonder. I loved reading this.
you describe brain areas beautifully!! smiling at your descriptions :) PS I think you are my writing twin, let’s connect 💌
thank you twin!! <3 :p
Beautifully written and researched ! Touches on so much that I’ve been thinking on lately
Thank. You.
Wonderful follow up, and very interesting! How would one go about balancing the three brain networks mentioned at the end to create presence? Through meditation and mindfulness?
other ways i personally like are:
immersive creativity (any activity that pulls attention into the moment + creates flow states --> induces transient hypofrontality)
going into nature (naturally engages the salience network and softens the default mode network - lots of research supports this!)
deep conversation! (during moments of real connection/when your attention is fully tuned to another person can harmonize these networks)
play + exploration (trying something new, being curious --> novelty (which engages attention and wakes up salience)
Gosh! No wonder these are the exact moments I’m drawn to - I feel such a natural pull toward them. I wonder though, does everyone experience this in the same way? Or are some people more drawn to these states than others? Maybe it's adults who still feel like children in some way who are especially sensitive to this pull. And perhaps those who can ignite these states often and practice being in them regularly, are actually wiser in a way not because they know more, but because they feel more. Maybe there’s no direct comparison to be made… but if one had to think about it, it does make you wonder.
such good points and questions - it's like you pulled them out of my own mind! i wonder about this stuff too haha. i feel like igniting these states often, practicing resting in them regularly, or even being able to recognize/notice the state when it comes up naturally make us more attuned to what presence feels like (and how good and peaceful it feels) and makes it easier to return, kinda like muscle memory. so i agree with your point about people who do this regularly being able to feel more, especially feel more presence (both when they are actively cultivating it, like through meditation, and just naturally throughout the day)!
Thanks for the response! Lots of interesting info there to digest ☺️
thank you! and yes, exactly - meditation + mindfulness are two ways we can start to balance those networks (though not the only ways).
focused attention practices (meditation) help strengthen the brain’s executive control network (the part that steers attention), and open monitoring practices (mindfulness) help wake up the salience network (the part that notices what matters). both together gently quiet the default mode network (the part that pulls us into loops of thought).
i like to think of these practices as creating the conditions where presence can naturally arise - rather than trying to force presence into being. thank you for the thoughtful question <3 :)