Sabbatical Thoughts from May 21

 A lot of the work that I've been doing on Sabbatical has been more internal than I expected, so I had the idea to create "highlight images" of some of the insights I've been gleaning to share with anyone who might be interested. I'll use this blog to provide a bit of context, if anyone is interested.

Here's one from earlier in the summer:

"I've been noticing that I say, 'I wonder,' a lot. I like that about myself. I have a lot of questions and things I don't know, but I'm okay dwelling in the mystery. Maybe that wondering is the point at which creativity emerges. Like, the way I see it, there are two ways to respond to wondering: scientific inquiry or art (not necessarily a painting or drawing, but any sort of creative exploration). Scientific inquiry seeks an answer. Art seeks...something else. Potential? Truth? Clarity? Insight? An even greater sense of wonder?

What am I looking for when I wonder? I think part of it is the simple joy of wondering - of going beyond the boring, 'normal' thoughts that take up most of the space in my head already. Sometimes, it does wind up being the pursuit of knowledge...but not for accumulating more and more; rather, to find joy in the process of learning for its own sake. Joy is definitely an integral component of wonder, I think.

But also...I don't think I really provide myself much opportunity to REALLY dwell in wonder. I tend to wonder fleetingly and then move on to the next distraction or responsibility. Maybe that's part of the reason I've been feeling blocked. Wonder is a beautiful part of being human that we shouldn't deny ourselves.