How to Experience More of the Joys and Wonders of Life

Some days, the monotony of the daily grind will have you lamenting like Solomon, "Everything is meaningless, completely meaningless!" And the longer you live, you understand Solomon's observation "there is nothing new under the sun." Our days fly by in a blur and history always seems to repeat itself. Solomon was aware of life's brevity. His God given wisdom opened his eyes to the seriousness and complexities of life, but he never ceased to be amazed by the beauty and wonder of nature and human interaction. He records in Proverbs 30,

There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman (Prov. 30:18-19, NLT).

With fifty years behind me now, I'm trying to slow down and embrace more of the wonder in the world around me. We live in a fast paced, hectic society and it's easy in the hustle and bustle to miss the beauty right under our noses sometimes. If life is feeling rote, repetitious, or bland for you of late, consider these potential ways to experience more of the joys and wonders of this life.

Make time for the hobbies that make you happy

My passion is fishing. There is no place I would rather be than out on the water. Opening up the throttle and striking out across a lake that looks like glass first thing in the morning, is a sure fire way to melt away the stressors of my day or week. As a hobby, fishing helps more than anything to disengage my brain and allow my mind to simply rest. We seem less and less inclined as a society to push back against the constant connectivity and compulsive availability of our age. Making time for hobbies that help us do just that is imperative for good mental and physical well-being. 

It is also easy to get so wrapped up in the negativity of our culture some days that we forget about the beauty and wonder that does still exist in the world. Fishing opens my eyes to those beauties and wonders. It never gets old watching a bald eagle soaring against a blue sky or perched in a tall pine. I love seeing an Osprey dive into the water capturing an unsuspecting fish for its next meal, or seeing deer, heron, beavers, and other wildlife along the banks as I am fishing. They remind me again and again that there is still a lot of beauty in this world. We just need to put ourselves in a position to witness it.

Pay attention to the small details

Last year my wife and I went on vacation to Scotland and Ireland. While in Ireland, we visited Giants Causeway. It is an amazing feat of nature. Large formations of basalt columns stretch out along the seashore set off by the type of cliffs Ireland is famous for. It is easy to get caught up in the big beautiful scenery. However, as we were hiking down to the causeway, I happened to notice the grass along the trail was covered with snails. It is easy to take in the grandeur of iconic places, but taking in all the little details in big places seem to help anchor the experience deeper in our memory banks. 

Wonder is found in noticing the intricate details of beautiful things. It is standing in front of an oil painting and noticing the thousands of brush strokes it took to create such a masterpiece, or standing in front of a castle and looking at how the stones were laid in unique patterns to create it's shape. It is not overlooking the flower that pushed it's way through a crack in your driveway or sidewalk, or just sitting in silence and noticing the exquisite colors of the season. The green in the spring and the oranges, reds, and browns that pop on the trees in the fall. This world holds a ton of beauty and wonder, but we have to be mindful enough to slow down and open our eyes to it.

Enjoy new experiences and new cultures

In the hectic pace of life, it's easy to fall into a rut which can cause life to feel mundane. Get up, get ready for work, work all day, come home and spend a few hours with the family, go to bed, and repeat again, and again, and again. Endless weeks like this can leave you feeling numb. In these times it's easy to feel Solomon's lament that there is "nothing new under the sun." Traveling to new places and foreign cultures can help break the monotony of daily living and reinvigorate your passion for life.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I took a quick trip to Beaufort, North Carolina. We left on Saturday night, arrived late and had one full day to spend in Beaufort. I was shocked on Sunday at how quickly the bright sunshine, waterfront views, sight-seeing, and ocean breeze lifted the weight of the world off my shoulders. We shopped, ate lunch at a cafe, went to some historical landmarks, had dinner at a restaurant on the water, and finished the night with a walk on the beach. Taking in the beauty and wonder of this beautiful ocean side town was just what I needed to reset for the week ahead. New places and new routines help shake off the shackles of daily monotony and restore joy to our souls.

Learn to see the good in people

We live in such a polarized culture. The media is great at exploiting our political, religious, and cultural differences, but at the end of the day we are all just human beings that thrive on relationships with other human beings. Focusing on the negative in other people is a lonely road that ultimately leads to apathy and cynicism. Learning to see the good in people is a more fruitful endeavor. 

It is easy to judge a book by it's cover. We do that all the time. It is much harder to get to know someone on a deeper level because many times we're too afraid or too critical to be curious. Curiosity is the cure for learning to see the good in people. Many times we would be far less critical of people if we knew their story. Take the time to listen to their story and ask questions. Get in front of people and have a face to face conversation with them. It won't take long to figure out that we share the same hurts, fears, passions, concerns, and dreams as others. I choose to believe there is more that unites us as a society than divides us. We just have to learn to see it for ourselves and stop letting voices louder than ours us tell us differently.

Conclusion

As Solomon concludes Ecclesiastes, he summarizes his exploration of life stating, "Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty." Fear of God is a holy reverence for who he is and all that he is. I experience the awe and wonder of God best when I'm spending time taking in the beauty of the world he created, and spending time in community with others like me who are made in his image.

If life has you feeling melancholy today, close your laptop, put away your phone, and go do something that makes you happy. Along the way, pay close attention to the small details. Maybe find a new or old friend to join you along the way. Get a cup of coffee together. Have a conversation with a stranger. Watch a sunset. Take a walk. Take a trip. And by all means, remember your Creator while you take it all in.