To wonder is to be curious. To feel wonder is to be stirred by something remarkable. To know wonderful people. To witness wondrous sights. To bear testament to the wonders of the world.
As children we wonder. We are curious. We ask questions. Our wonder develops knowledge and deepens understanding. Wisdom is formed as our imagination is stimulated and our minds are formed.
I wonder…
As we get older and wiser, do we lose our sense of wonder in the world? Do we become accustomed to its magnitude and take for granted the things that evoked wonder in us as a child?
Wondrous people inspire us to be better, to do more, to fulfil our potential. Princess Diana of Themyscira or Diana Prince of the modern world (aka Wonder Woman) defies all limits placed on her by using her super powers. Auggie Pullman, the child in Wonder with Treacher Collins syndrome, defies all limits imposed on him by choosing kindness – his super power is his heart and soul.
I wonder…
Who inspires us by defying the limits? Who in our real lives rather in works of fiction are the Dianas and the Auggies? Who feels us with wonder as they unleash their ‘super powers’?
The Wonders of the World – ancient and modern – inspire us both through their natural phenomena but also through human actions. There are places in the world that I have visited that have literally taken my breath away. I have sat in wonder for a prolonged amount of time to absorb the sublime beauty such as the immensity of canyon and the enormity of a mountain range.
I wonder…
Which of my travels to far flung destinations has instilled the most wonder in me? Was is Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, Ephesus, Christ the Redeemer or the Colosseum? I wonder if I will get to Petra this autumn as planned or when in the future I will experience this wonder again?
As we went into lockdown, the natural world replenished a sense of wonder to our lives. As clouds lifted and as waters cleared, a wonder in the world around us and in the every day things we had been taken for granted was restored. Over the last few months, the oohs and the aahs of these occurrences have become normalised once again.
I wonder…
If we have deeply listened? If we have fully understood the message? If we have truly appreciated the wonder of the world? If we have wholly embraced the opportunity bestowed on us?
Reading the other blogs today has just triggered a memory that has meant I have come back to write more following this thread I posted on Twitter. The wonder of music and songs about wonder has encouraged me to reflect on my Headship. It is the last day of the summer term and perhaps it is not a coincidence that my sub-conscious selection of today’s theme takes me back to my first official day (I had done a year as a Headteacher Designate without a team/ without a building) and our INSET to kick of our opening.
I chose a song to frame our year, a song with a metaphor to give a message to the staff, a song to ‘nurture hearts and minds’ as was the mission statement I had crafted for our community. I selected ‘Wonder’ by Emile Sande as the music video is about a woman, leading a group on a journey, as they travel towards the unopened door, through the wilderness, colours explode around them.
I wonder…
How my old team are feeling? How the students are doing? How their families are keeping? What song symbolises their academic year? What song will frame their next year?
The lyrics of Wonder are symbolic and I have copied them here for you to read and reflect on:
Wonder
I’m not afraid of thunder
I am full of light
I am full of wonder
Wo-oh, oh-oh, I am full of wonder
The world’s upon our shoulders
No way we going to break
Wo-oh, oh-oh, we are full of wonder
Just reach out and pass it on, ooh, yeah
This light is contagious, go, go tell your neighbours
Just reach out and pass it on, ooh, yeah
This light is contagious, go, go tell your neighbours
Just reach out and pass it on, ooh, yeah
This light is contagious, go, go tell your neighbours
Just reach out and pass it on, ooh, yeah
Wo-oh, oh-oh, we are full of wonder
And darkness falls upon you
Just try sing along
This is a message from Cabana
I want you to remember
This song is for you
And you are full of wonder
Wo-oh, oh-oh, we are full of wonder
Wo-oh, oh-oh, we ain’t falling under
Wo-oh, oh-oh, we are full of wonder
There is much that we can make connections to for the journeys we have been on this year. Let’s leave the thunder and the darkness in this academic year and seek out the wonder of next academic year. Let’s make the light contagious.
Ethical_Leader 