The Sense of Wonder

Today I led a lesson based on Rachel Carson's book, The Sense of Wonder. She writes:

'A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us this true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring around us gets dimmed and even lost as we grow into adulthood. If I had a special influence with a good fairy who serves to protect all children, I would love to ask that her gift to each child be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would never stop working throughout life. It would act, I also wish, as an effective antidote against the inevitable boredom and disenchantments of later years...'

Sometimes it is this sense of wonder, the immense excitement and awe that children experience quite frequently, that makes me want to travel. Of course this sense can be achieved by walking in local woods or hills, or looking at the night's sky. But the sense of wonder created by travel experiences, seeing new lands, viewing nature in its many forms and taking part in the customs of various peoples, is a much more addictive kind of wonder.