What makes you stop and wonder?

Walking on the Pastures of Wonder

Sometimes it takes time for inspiration to nudge my writing pen and me. I confess I’ve sat at my desk often, looking out the window, watching the fluffy white clouds move in slow motion across a bright blue sky, observing the sweeping and soaring of Red Kites and simply wonder. 

Today, I see how well the purple Everlasting Sweet Pea in my garden has stretched and grown from the straggly little stem it once was. It’s a particularly cherished flower, a parting gift from staff and children at a school where I once worked.  The extending branches and tendrils remind me how it has grown over the years and makes me wonder about those children and staff with whom I once worked.  Where are they now? Do they continue to grow and develop?  I loved being part of that growth and development. I continue to do so today albeit in a different place.  I wonder where those staff and children are now?  I wonder how their lives are the same or different?  I wonder how I have grown, developed and changed over the years?  No answers required …merely rhetorical questions at this stage!  However, I wonder if there will be a stage when these questions will be asked and shared again? Perhaps in a favourite space over a cool glass of white wine but not right now …maybe later when Covid-19 has become a distant memory?

During the ‘lockdown’, I have found comfort and solace in reading and writing.  I have particularly enjoyed one of my favourite authors, John O’Donohue. He was recognised by many (myself included) as an inspirational writer. He was a native Irish speaker, born in County Clare, Ireland and wrote several best sellers and poetry collections too, Anam Cara, Eternal Echoes and Divine Beauty.  His last work, Benedictus, was published in 2007.  Sadly John O’Donohue died at the age of fifty-two on 4 January 2008.

I highly recommend his writing.  He writes in a beautiful, lyrical style.  His words encourage thought about many things.  I particularly enjoy his rhythmical writing style and how his words and sentences weave beautifully on the page.  For me, he inspires and permits time for contemplation particularly now in the less busy times … like ‘lockdown’. I am currently reading ‘Walking in the Pastures of Wonder’ and enjoying his conversations on wonder, landscape and balance. This particular book is a collection of radio conversations between John O’Donohue and his close friend and former RTE broadcaster, John Quinn.

I think it’s good to slow down and wonder …

What are you wondering about today?