Wandering Wonder...?

When I traveled to Europe two years ago, my wanderlust infected self reflected. Often. 

One of the beautiful outcomes of this reflection was a need to redefine some of the more commonly reference virtues and emotions. I was wary that this practice was a one-off, but as I sat to journal for the first time in 2012, on my flight across the Atlantic, it happened again.

 Wonderful.

 

"I almost feel as though my excitement has hit a wall. You can only maintain a future-oriented emotion for so long. It seems that anxiousness, nervousness, and excitement have expiration dates - or perhaps Fill To lines? Either way, I'm hoping that every emotion runs anew upon landing in London... 

 Wonder. Now that's a future-oriented emotion. But it never runs out. 

Some people just lose wonder. Forget what it is - how it feels coarsing through your blood. Most, however, always send something of "wonder". Maybe the reason it can be sustained is due to the fact that wonder is not focused on the self. 

 Wonder, awe, marvel - these are all selfless emotions. They turn the gaze of the subject to an outside object. Nervousness, anxiety, excitement, on the other hand, are all intraspective. They may regard or incorporate other objects, but the focal point is on he self, and how the self experiences or acts. 

 How much more beautiful is wonder? It is Marvelous, Awesome, Wonderful. There it is then. That's it. A pledge: To live this trip inundated, insulated, and inebriated with a sense of wonder."