When we satisfy our need for wild awe, it is good for our minds; we concentrate better, handle stresses with more resilience, and perform better on cognitive tests of different kinds.*
Dacher Keltner

The walks were magical and full of delight. Mr. Tayer seemed to have absolutely no self-consciousness, and he was always being carried away by wonder and astonishment over the simplest things. He was constantly and literally falling into love. … “Jeanne, look at the caterpillar. Ahhhhh!” I joined him on the ground to see what had evoked such a response.**
Jean Houston

We do not have to live in wild places to
encounter wild life;
It is all around us, and perhaps
all the more awesome for it:
I want what Mr. Tayer had,
A life orientated towards
surprise and wonder …
And a falling into love
wherever I am:
look everywhere for difference …
See the earth as source …
celebrate the genius in others,
be not prepared against
but for surprise.^

*Dacher Keltner’s Awe;
**Jean Houston’s A Mythic Life;
^James Carse’s Finite and Infinite Games.