What's more amazing than life itself? Nothing really. The world - the universe - is so big and so wonderful that it can hardly be imagined. And yet, for some reason, we go through our days - our lives - without even looking.
Just think of the breeze on your cheek. 
On a good day we might stop and think that it feels nice to feel that breeze. But even on the best of days, we seldom think past that - we seldom stop in wonder at the combination of events that caused that moment.
The earth spun and the sun appeared to rise in the sky. That sun sent rays of light and energy through a vastness of space and they hit the earth causing the temperature to rise.
The temperature rose at different speeds and the warmer air rose quicker, displacing air that was in it's place and the movement of that air caused more air to move until someone, somewhere felt a breeze or saw a branch sway.
And that's just a fraction of the things happening around us constantly. Every instant is the result of countless other instants and will, in turn, become the cause of a following instant.
Our lives are made up of these millions upon millions of instants and we seldom look closely at any of them. 
Today's assignment - should you choose to accept it - is to take one minute to stop and think about something. It can be anything.
Stop and wonder about how it got the way it is, or how it got where it is. What caused it? How does it work?
One minute - anything.
Think about something - yourself, your computer, the universe, a bird, a rock, a snowflake, a pen, coffee, whatever...
How hard can that be? It's easy. Try it and tell me or don't tell me. I'm okay with people just thinking quietly to themselves.
Today, for one minute, remember to feel some wonder. 
Snowflakes
Hubble telescope images
Microbes and organisms deep in the sea
Astrobiology
6 comments:
Not to sound proud, because I am humble, but I am refelctive, daily. Iadmire and am amazed by life everyday.
Maybe it is my gratitude and awareness that has brought me to a higher plane of thought and quality of life.
Maybe...
Great Pics.
It is all pretty amazing. It's that awareness and reflection that helps you keep growing as a human being.
Aha! I just found our substitute homeschool teacher...YOU! This is how we get Z excited about learning. It's a bonus when L and I get equally excited and learn something new ourselves!
Oh no...me shaping the future of America's youth! We're doomed for sure!
But seriously, I'm very glad to hear of things sparking other's interests. I'm even more excited when I have something to do with it.
I think that Z is getting far more out of the education you're offering him than what he was getting from public education.
Not that public education is all bad, but it's certainly not designed with individual students in mind. It's great for teaching a mass of kids the same thing, getting them to memorize some stuff and then having them move on, but it is less good at reaching individual kids that might need to be taught differently to maximize their potential.
It's important to keep learning things - with or without being in school. Most of us learn our most important lessons outside of school and often after we've finished our 'schooling.'
That's how I convinced L that we were capable of schooling Z. I reminded him of all the things we'd taught ourselves outside of school.
In all honesty, we would've loved to have Z succeed in public school. Unfortunately, no school has the time for the one-on-one instruction that Z requires.
Two thoughts -- first, your post reminded me of American Beauty, specifically the kid with the video camera. His way of looking at the world was very similar.
Secondly, I cannot get enough of the astronomy stuff. This last year, we spent a day at Kitt Peak, the largest grouping of telescopes in the world, near Tucson. I was in my element.
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