Life Is Full of Sweet Spots

It’s tempting to call it our sixth sense. But call it what you will—a sense, an emotion, a mindset—one way or another, wonder opens the door to the delights of imagination, of curiosity, creativity, intellectual discovery.

Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, a “paper paintings” collage artist whose interview is in my book, Life Is Full of Sweet Spots, finds and shares wonder through tiny bits of treasures, colorful scraps, and large doses of imagination. Trevor, shown here, and who appears in my book, is one such delightful creation. Elizabeth recently asked her blog followers where they found wonder and joy in their lives. Here are a few excerpts.

Maya – “It’s allowing myself to get fully immersed with my characters in my writing, or going for a long walk in the open sheep pastures with my pup, noticing all of the amazing gifts Mother Nature provides… It’s the shadow the great Oak leaves for us to take a sun break in, it’s in being present. There’s always evidence of joy, even if you don’t feel it in the moment.”

June – “I head toward the woods and my hiking stick is not a cane; it is a magic wand that leads me on adventures of joy… I check out the bark of birches and read the tree’s story. Looking down I take flight down a ravine and find an exquisite stone along a dry stream bed. I look up at the blue, blue sky outlined by tree limbs and smile happily as a baby taking its first step.”

Kristin – “Every day it is my practice to free write early in the day in a journal. It is also a practice each morning to step outside, breathe in deeply and give thanks for the simple little place that I call home… Life is a blessing and I am grateful to be able to enjoy the every day of my life. So much delicious joy comes as I take the time to look, to breathe and to appreciate my space on the planet and my life here.”

Stella – “I find joy most often in just basking in the love of my family! Smelling my daughter’s hair, sitting next to my husband with our arms touching, having my fluffy kitty sit on my lap while I read, feeling the uninterrupted and all-focused love my sweet dog has for me as she follows me from room to room… I love all of the living things in my life, and their love and energy and warmth just swells my heart!”

Wonder is, indeed, a far from ordinary sense!