What if Preserving Wonder the Most Mature Thing We Can Do As We Evolve?

When my friends and I get together, we often reminisce on good times gone by. The good times of childhood and all the magic and charm it contained. One of our favorites are memories attached to Christmastime. We think back to the giddiness and joy we had not only on the actual day, but the days leading up to the big day that included going to school in our pajamas, indulging in themed arts and crafts, and sipping hot cocoa as we watched The Polar Express. These were simple yet rich moments that colored our childhood. 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about what exactly made these moments special. Initially, I thought the answer was the events themselves like Christmas festivities or Halloween parties that seemed to evoke unbounded excitement. However, that can’t be the case given the fact that if said events were removed, a child’s mind would find another way to feed its imagination, engage its curiosity, and foster its happiness. I observed this in my six-year-old nephew who finds a way to laugh and play no matter where he is. Events specially made to capture his attention and spark his imagination only add fuel to the joy, imagination, and curiosity that’s already there. 

“Eventually, I turned my attention to the basic emotions childhood evoked outside of the events. The imagination, curiosity, joy, and openness…The effortlessness at which these feelings arose is what I found to be what we truly yearn for as we cross the threshold from adolescent to adulthood.”

Eventually, I turned my attention to the basic emotions childhood evoked outside of the events. The imagination, curiosity, joy, and openness. All of these emotions came naturally and spontaneously without much thought or effort. The effortlessness at which these feelings arose is what I found to be what we truly yearn for as we cross the threshold from adolescent to adulthood. 

For the majority of us, when we think of adulthood, we picture men and women in business suits who wake up everyday in a rush to their 9-to-5 corporate jobs as they make money to support their family. The adults in our imaginations exude an air of seriousness and misery as they tend to their adult responsibilities. This is almost the exact opposite of what we associate and expect of childhood. Childhood, it seems, is the only time in our lives where we can chase joy, engage with our curiosity, and indulge in our imaginations. However, as soon as you’re an adult, all of this has to be tucked away in a box and stored at the recesses of your memories only to be revisited every once and while. 

Some will argue that I still have traces of blind optimism and naivety that simply haven’t been beaten out by the real world yet when I say that it’s possible to maintain the magic and charm we once experienced in childhood. It will look and feel different, no doubt, but a version of that joy, curiosity, and imagination can be cultivated and maintained as we get older. It has to, because one of the greatest misfortunes in life is losing touch with our wonder and reverence for the brilliance surrounding us. 

I’ve been lucky enough to meet people well into their adulthood who’ve maintained that childlike wonder and reinforced my conviction that it doesn’t stop at a certain age, much like writer and performer Alok Vaid-Menon experienced with their late grandmother. 

On Radhi Shetty’s podcast “A Really Good Cry,” Alok shared the beautiful legacy their grandmother left and lessons she imparted, one of which being the preservation of childlike wonder. According to Alok, their grandmother giggled until the end of her life and never lost her childlike awe for life, which Alok found admirable. 

“Why do we have to see maturity as a departure from that wonder?” Alok said. “What if actually the preservation of wonder is the most mature thing we could do?” 

I resonated with this sentiment because it’s a much-needed reminder that joy, curiosity, and imagination doesn’t have to end when we hit a certain age. It won’t come as effortlessly as it once did in childhood, and we will be tasked with finding a way to balance our childlike wonder with the responsibilities that come with adulthood. That’s why, when we mature and find ourselves in a new chapter in our lives, we have to prioritize the cultivation of our happiness and the preservation of our wonder. We owe it to ourselves to do so. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post! If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comment section. What are some ways you cultivate joy and maintain childlike wonder?

To stay inspired, follow @ aaliyahinspired on Instagram and Youtube.

For similar posts, click here.