Entry 4: Wonder

November 13, 2025

Powerful geomagnetic storms brought the magical northern lights to a significant portion of the US this week, decorating the night sky in energetic hues of green and pink. To see this incredible display in my own backyard was nothing short of extraordinary. And so many were caught up in the wonder if it all.

How do I explain that this is the same energy that fills my body, the same love and awe and wonder that I experience when a blue jay takes flight in front of me, or when a chipmunk is curious enough to emerge from the fungi covered log to notice me?

As children, we see the world as one that we share with snails, sunflowers, towering evergreens, and playful squirrels. It’s a world where the unknown we experience is whether an earth worm will be found under the next rock we overturn. But life and society takes us for a dance and that sense of deep connection and innocent wonder starts to fade. For some, it happens earlier than for others. There is so much grief in my spirit that this desensitization to wonder has become normal. We now look for wonder, like in the powerful geomagnetic storms or the total solar eclipse (both of which are extraordinary), but we forget that wonder is not to be found, but it’s the lens in which we look at everything around us.

There is wonder in the way the trees fall softly from the trees. There is wonder in the mushrooms that arise from the soil in the art of decomposition. My sweet 5 year old, Hudson, always whispers “I love you,” to mushrooms when we hike, and it has forever changed the way I see these magical beings. There is wonder in the geese that chatter overhead, the deer that graze in the field nearby, the clouds that dance with the wind, the color of sunlight as it filters through our car windows. There is wonder in you, and in me, and in the stranger buying lettuce at the store, and in the friend holding a cardboard sign a the stoplight.

Reconnection to the wild starts with reclaiming wonder. I hope you can find peace in your nervous system today and that you find wonder in something that fills your spirit with energy and connection.

One helpful idea:

• If you carry a journal or you can use the notes app on your phone, start a list of things you see throughout your day that catch your attention. It could the color of the sky, changing leaves, or a rabbit that visited your front yard. Or it could be a moment of kindness in your day, or a text message you received from your best friend at the right moment. Challenge yourself to look back at this list and notice how you felt a sense of wonder in each moment.

Sending you love and light,

Holly