Word-Of-the-Week #852: Wonderment
December 3, 2020 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #852: Wonderment
Wonderment – the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising; curiosity.
Are you naturally inquisitive? Are you amazed by archeological sites like the Pyramids in Egypt and wonder how they were ever built? Do you find yourself filled with curiosity about the world as you get older?
“The meaning I picked, the one that changed my life: Overcome fear, behold wonder.” ~ Richard Bach
This week’s WOW comes from long time subscriber and friend Joe. This was his reply to Venturesome. “Fear is the biggest obstacle for people in deciding whether to try something new or to boldly go where they have never been before.
It is that fear of the unknown that always seems to hold us back. We don’t know who we will meet, we don’t know what will happen when we get there, we don’t know if we can do something we’ve never tried before.
I know that whenever I go to a city I’ve never been, I like to leave the hotel and take a walk around the town, not really with any destination in mind. I will say hello to people I meet, go into a coffee shop, or even strike up a conversation as I wait in line for a sandwich.
Quite often I will tell my daughters that every day is like a brand-new lifetime. You never know who you will meet, or what challenges or opportunities are ahead of them.
For me, it is the curiosity. Finding out what makes people tick or what it is that is around that next corner is what provides the answer to my wondering.
We can’t fear the embarrassment of not knowing something or how something works. Life is for learning, every single day. It is natural for us to feel sheepish in front of others that we don’t know something. That is human nature.
I have always been naturally curious. I WANT TO KNOW. And if I can’t find out, I keep looking until I do find out. That is just me.
All of my life I have always been puzzled by how so many are not curious. I don’t know if it is that they don’t want to know or just don’t care.
Curiosity stimulates the mind, and that is what keeps me feeling adventuresome in all aspects of my life.”
Like Joe, I am filled with curiosity and am so grateful for being able to travel and see so many wonders of our world. What I am really surprised about is how much I enjoy history and geography. I found school mostly boring! (Probably because they dictated what I should learn.)
This week’s focus is on wonderment. What subjects or hobbies are you curious about? Do you like watching documentaries, the History or Discovery Channel? Do you have a desire to visit any of the Wonders of the World?
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New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups: 2005 – 2007
July 22, 2010 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups: 2005 – 2007
NYC & Dennis Haysbert
There were twenty-one landmarks that were up for the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is our goal to see all of them. We decided that Timbuktu (once one of the world’s richest cities, in Mali, Africa) isn’t one we care to venture to. But hey, we think we will go there when we do Morrocco since it’s fairly close. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty, however, not together. So the rule is, we go back and see all of them together!
1. Statue of Liberty, New York harbor – In June, 2005, we went to New York for the book sellers show and spent a week seeing all the sites and three plays. Ran into Dennis Haysbert at Nobu (who was then playing President Palmer on 24) right after I had just got my first pair of Monolo Blahniks across the street. (Clearly watched too much Sex in the City) LOVE that show and New York City!
Sydney Opera House
2. December 30, 2005, we went to Sydney. I didn’t want to go unless I could see and be a part of the most fabulous fireworks of anywhere in the World. Thanks to the advice of my niece Mary (who had gone the year before) we got to experience them in a boat in Sydney harbor. On top of that, our boat was one of the ones that got to be a part of the Parade of Lights!
Hagia Sophia
3. May 2007, we went to Istanbul, Turkey and saw the Hagia Sophia. Famous for its massive dome, it’s considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have “changed the history of architecture.” It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.
4. We left Istanbul and cruised the Greek Islands before we ended up in Athens where we went to see the Acropolis, a flat-topped rock that rises 150 m (490 ft) above sea level in the middle of the city. Known as the “Sacred Rock” it is topped by the Parthenon.
The Acropolis