Where Your Wonder Went (and How to Get It Back)

How do we lose our wonder? Is it slowly over time, or is it more instantaneous?

Does it begin to deteriorate when we’re being rushed to put on our shoes or leave the house by our caregivers? By society shuffling us from one thing to the next and the next?

By capitalism that tells us to work harder, do more, and leaves little to no time to rest? Is it that, as Americans, we have forgotten (or maybe never really valued) wonder to begin with?

I don’t know if there’s one clear answer. But I do think, somewhere along the way, we stop paying attention, and then we forget how to come back to wonder.

"But Stephanie, why does it even matter? Is wonder really that important?"

I believe it is. To me, wonder brings with it awe and whimsy, embodiment and a kind of quiet magic. It invites curiosity and presence. It’s what helps us come alive and engage with the world around us, rather than just move through it.

It creates a sense of reverence and gratitude for what we choose to pay attention to. It reminds us that the world is big and, at the same time, intimately small. It brings back into focus and color the things that have started to feel dull or blurry. It invites a kind of slowness—a posture of humility and teachability that we don’t always admire or make space for.

And I think sometimes wonder gets overlooked, especially in spaces where we care deeply about healing. It can feel almost… secondary. Like something soft or optional or something you earn after you’ve done enough of the deeper, heavier work.

But the truth is, wonder doesn’t pull us away from that work... It supports it.

Wonder softens the body, gives the nervous system a place to land, and loosens the constant scanning for what’s wrong, even just for a moment. And in that small shift, something opens.

So many of us are overstimulated, exhausted, or disconnected, so we scroll, we consume, we take in more and more… But underneath it all, I think we’re craving a way to feel present and alive again in our actual lives, not just in fleeting moments.

Wonder is the thing that meets us there. It is the spark that brings meaning and hope to our lives. It's what we were designed for.

You know who is naturally rooted in wonder?

Children.

They operate outside the confines of time and expectation. Everything is new, everything is interesting, and there is always something to notice, to explore, to learn. They value and appreciate the little things in a way that most of us have simply unlearned.

Being with wonder is my direct invitation (and permission) to slow down, to admire the beauty in life, and to express gratitude for all that exists.

It’s the opposite of rushing. The opposite of ignoring and moving past what’s right in front of us.

It feels like the exact medicine we need in today’s society, especially in our everyday lives.

And that’s exactly why I created Be With Wonder —a gentle guide to help you rediscover your sense of wonder and feel more alive inside your everyday life.

If you feel the pull toward that, you can get it here.

I hope you’ll let yourself return to wonder.

Stephanie