The wonder of first sight

Do you remember a moment when you visited a place for the first time and you fell in love? There was this specific sparkle and the marvellous feeling of having found something special. The wonder of first sight feels warm and cosy. You look at every detail, inhale the air consciously, touch leaves, trees or water and explore nature with your whole being.

This feeling also shows up when you see something cute or extraordinary beautiful – a newborn, puppy or piece of art. Fascination takes over and you concentrate on every detail in this moment. Time stands still as you explore every attribute while absorbing the beauty and wonder of the moment.

Such a moment has the power to detach you from your world. You feel that you are ‘in the moment’ – and it is a feeling of being alive.

When was the last time that you have been ‘in the moment’?

When you watch little children play, you will see them most of their time ‘being in the moment’. They just enjoy what they are doing while they are repeating e.g. movements and explore every aspect of the terrain they are at. There is this wonder of first sight at work as the kids are exploring the world.

While this is natural for kids, adults experience the wonder of first sight less frequent by accident. But once an adult is in that zone, the same power of ‘being in the moment’ is released and refreshes the mind. Luckily, adults can decide consciously to walk into such a moment and make room for wonder in their lives.

How does that work?

Depending on what you like and what is available, you can purposefully choose a moment you want to explore deeper.

If you are at home and you want to be right away ‘in the moment’, you can take anything that is available, e.g. a walnut, a leaf or an art-piece you brought home from your travels. Start exploring every detail, the structure, the colour. Focus your thoughts solely on this one piece and let go of everything else. Use all of your senses when exploring – how does it look? how does it feel? how does it smell? And then add context to this thing – Would you have created it the same way? How did it evolve?

Personally, I integrate those ‘wonder’ moments in my daily life whenever it is possible. When I meet a friend with her newborn baby, I just take some time and play with the child. I love to concentrate on every detail and let wonder take over when exploring the little finger nails and perfectly formed ears.

I make room for art. Whenever I walk into a gallery, I purposefully choose one art piece and explore it for some time. Structure, colour, composition, intention of the artist – I just let myself fall into that moment and the art piece is all that matters for a few minutes. The same is possible when going to a concert or the ballet.

‘Being in the moment’ will make you feel alive, happy and relaxed. Partially, this is due to the absence of worry and stress. You purposefully step out of your daily hustle and walk into a space with different timing and rules. And this is when you realize that everything you stress about is just one part of your life but not your whole life. You can choose to stay in the stress zone, but you don’t have to. As the christmas break approaches, there is some room that can be filled with wonder.

Are you ready for the wonder of first sight?