“A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It's our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.”

-Rachel Carson

Happy Earth Day, friends.

A couple of months ago I read the short essay The Sense Of Wonder by Rachel Carson. The quote above is taken from that piece, and it’s one that’s stuck with me since. Many years ago when I entered young adulthood I remember people around me dismissing my wonder, looking down their noses as I pointed out the clouds, the bees, the oak trees. You know, the things—our wild neighbors— who matter.

I wish I could say I told them they’re missing out and to mind their business, but for a time I let shame take hold, pulling me into the kind of chaos that only twenty-somethings seem to be experts at finding (and flailing their way through).

Fortunately, I was in college earning my biology degree and had some wonderful professors who shared their love of Nature, both in the lab and out in the field. They demystified the wilderness, made the unknown familiar, replaced the misguided fears of the wild that society ingrains in us with abounding reverence and love. Even back when I still let myself believe the noise that Nature was “other”, those lessons wedged their way right to my core.

And thank the gods for that because my life has been that much more full of kindness, softness, and an abundance of wonder thanks to getting to know the birds, animals, and plants that share my corner of the world.

My college days are long behind me (and, admittedly, were mostly a boozy blur), but since those days, with much thanks to the internet and apps like Seek and Merlin that make Nature accessible to all, learning the names of the wild creatures around me has been both a lesson in naturalism and a lesson in being a better human.

Most importantly, this intentional connection maks it possible for me to never stop feeling that “clear-eyed vision for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring”.

Lastly, you can read a free PDF of Rachel Carson’s short essay here.

Here’s to forever holding tight to our sense of wonder, awe, and love for this world, on Earth Day and every day.