This is the phrase I’ve created to describe a 66-acre Old-Florida farm, Wonderfield. As I’ve visited more and more over the years, I felt called to articulate that feeling I get while being there. What is that feeling? It’s peace. It’s awe. It’s wonder.

As the events of the world (and the world) heat up, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I truly mean easy, as in, it’s simple, scroll your facebook news feed, glance at the news on the TV, listen to your neighbor. It may feel like it’s all crashing down around us, always. And this is why I appreciate days spent at Wonderfield. It stops crashing down around me. I’m more present with what’s in front of me, growth, resilience, nature doing her THING. Sitting with this fresh reality of nature, I feel at peace. I remember. I have a restored sense of awe and wonder. I don’t feel like everything is crashing down, I feel like so much beauty is being created every second of every day. I trust.

I watch the ebb and the flow of the water levels throughout the year. During the spring, it may feel like the world is crashing down around me because our water levels are so low. But I wait, and I’m patient, and sure enough every year the waters return with summer rains. I witness our trees become barren and without fruit during the winter. But then I get to see the citrus blossoms in the spring. And then I watch as the fruit starts in the summer. And then I get to harvest these miracles of life in the late fall. I watch as our ancient oak trees get brown and bleak during the dry months, wondering if they will ever return. Then, with the first rain these giant trees transform into green, lush jungles covered in the miraculous resurrection fern, and then I remember.

I want to inspire you to restore your own wonder. If that means a visit to Wonderfield, great! But maybe that means cultivating a small garden of your own on your balcony or back porch. Maybe that means taking more walks in the park, or appreciating more sunsets, or staring at the big, beautiful tree in your neighborhood a little more. When we can remember, miracles start to happen. Desperation morphs into hope, anxiety transforms into calm, busyness evolves into steadfastness.

Restore your wonder.