I will admit that I stole the title from a blog I just read by the Christian author, Max Lucado. His blog is, of course, one about our spiritual journey. But I feel that this title works well in describing a physical journey as well. So, please forgive me, Max, for stealing your title to use for my travel blog! We can get so used to our surroundings and everyday routine that we lose the gift of amazement. Perhaps December helps us remember the childlike wonder of Christmas as we recall scenes from our childhood - trimming the tree with family while singing carols, the excitement Christmas Eve as we anticipated the visit from Santa and Christmas morning as we saw the presents under the tree. The gift of amazement can come to us as adults also. For me, this is one of the joys of travel. When I first got a glimpse of the Parthenon sitting atop the Acropolis in Athens I felt my jaw drop! As we walked into the original Olympic village in Olympia I had to stop and view with awe all that was left of the Temple of Zeus - once one of the 7 Wonders of the World. On the island of Santorini we saw a 3700 year old fresco of dancing blue monkeys. 3700 years old!!! Why they were blue we'll never know, but the crowd around the fresco was silent as we all gazed with great pleasure on one of the oldest art works ever found. Amazement is good for the soul. The exhilaration of experiencing something new, something beautiful, something rare is often beyond words. For me, amazement is something that takes me from my everyday routine thoughts and lifts me into a place that provides me with wonder and pleasure. It takes me out of my sense of self and brings me to a sense of something so much greater than I could ever achieve. The more you rediscover amazement, the more you desire it. The more you desire it, the more you search for it. You don't have to leave your home to find amazement, but you do have to leave your sense of the mundane and the routine of daily existence. Can everyone find amazement? I'm not sure they can. I think there are people who are so weighed down by life that they can't see beyond their own existence. I know that children can be amazed by so many things and I often wish I could return to that childlike wonder of hearing thunder and seeing a firefly and believing in Santa. For me, travel is my childlike experience. I try, no matter how many times I've visited a place, to see it through the eyes of those who are seeing it for the first time. Maybe this is the trick to all things in life. I challenge all of you to rediscover amazement - whatever that means for you. Search for those moments that make your jaw drop, your imagination run free, that heighten your feelings and give you a broader definition of who you are and your place in the universe. This is a good month for that, I believe. As we enjoy the Christmas season, the beauty of winter, the plans for a new year. May you all find your sense of amazement and relish it. A bientôt!
