Wonder

verb: to ask yourself questions or express a wish to know about something; used in phrases, at the beginning of a request, to make it more formal and polite; to feel or express great surprise at something; noun: a feeling of great surprise or admiration caused by seeing or experiencing something that is strange and new; an object that causes a feeling of great surprise and admiration

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I wonder why the wondrous word “wonder” wandered into this wonderful website? Whether the cause was destiny, serendipity, or something beyond the boundaries of our imagination, I can’t help but wonder where this word will take us…

Have you ever seen Sleeping Beauty? The Disney film, I mean. Since I began mulling over this word, I’ve been hearing a song from the film in my mind over and over. Well, just a few lines, really: I wonder… I wonder… Why each little bird has a someone… A someone… To sing to… Sweet things to… Now, I have no issue with the song in general, but having such a small segment on a loop in your mind for days on end can become tedious to say the least! Rather than let it drive me mad, I began to consider Princess Aurora’s question: why does each little bird have a someone?

Like our Princess, my thoughts flit from birds to humans almost instantly. Funny how we always have to make things about us, isn’t it? I wonder if that’s because we wouldn’t have a frame of reference otherwise? After all, we can never really understand things we can’t relate to, can we? We are all that we are: we can’t fathom the external. We might see it, but we don’t get it. Not really. The more alien it is, the more flummoxed we are. Why, then, do so many people seem to want “a someone” as Princess Aurora put it, when they can never truly understand them? And why do some people never seem to be single for more than 30 seconds while others never experience romance?

To connect with others at some level is something we’re programmed to want: there’s no getting around that as far as I can see. While that doesn’t necessarily extend to romance for every single person in the world, the vast majority of the population would – in the right circumstances – prefer to be in a relationship than single. Is it simply a question of biology? After all, it’s pretty difficult to make a baby on your own! But that wouldn’t account for gay couples for a start, and what about those who don’t want children? They know and feel it’s not for them – despite biological inclinations – yet they are utterly at the mercy of an associated, ingrained urge to couple? Forgive me for being a little sceptical on that one… Though, I must confess, there may be a small element of my not wanting biology to be the answer at play. I mean, can you think of anything less romantic?

Perhaps there are some things we’re actually better off not knowing. The less we know, the more we have yet to learn and experience. When we find or learn something new and interesting, it fills us with wonder. Can you remember the last time someone used the phrase “the wonder of a child” around you? Really try to remember, so you can hear them… Do you hear it? The longing in their voice? There’s not another feeling like experiencing wonder: it’s practically euphoric. And there are times when wondering about things can lead us to a realisation that fills us with wonder. I suspect that may be why we like to wonder. But, as ever, too much of a good thing causes nothing but problems…

If you spend all your time wondering, there comes a point where you can’t figure out anything else without more information. But you won’t receive any more information because you’re too busy wondering to go and find out! Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Not to mention exhausting. So, dear reader, may I suggest that you enjoy your wondering in moderation, without over-thinking? After all: it’s a wonderful world! Go enjoy it.

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