“I wonder as I wander out under the sky….” ~ John Jacob Niles
These are the first words to a Christmas carol that was beautifully rendered by Niles. His words are magical in that they capture two solitary activities: wondering and wandering.
Wandering is a pastime that has its own rhythm. True wandering is not valid if you are merely strolling to the letter box to post mail or to the store to get some milk. The purpose of wandering is to roam with no purpose other than to wonder. And wondering is an amazing and active thing—it clears out the labyrinth of worry in your mind—putting your thoughts in order while marvelling at the curiosity that is life.
When I was about ten I was allowed to wander from my little house in the country to the creek, or as we called it then, the “crick”. There was no purpose in going to the crick other than to sit on its banks and ponder; or throw stones in the still waters and watch concentric circles form and then disappear. It was on those wanderings that I solved a lot of my problems.
Under the open country sky, I was free to let my thoughts form, to mull them around, then let them go like a kite set free to wander the earth at will.
My goal is to return to my wandering and wondering days—days that seemed endless; days when imagination found animals and objects in the clouds; princes in frogs; freedom in gliding across a frozen pond in new skates; and the thrill of opening a new book—a new adventure.
I wonder as I wander in my mind….and sometimes my problems just disappear for a while and I am a creature of the earth; a soul bound by nothing; a brown bird pecking at the snow for a seed, and finding one, fulfilled.
On the Homefront 
Wow, Lou. This is beautiful. Poetic. This should be a Freshly Pressed. It appears that block of yours has disappeared. Happy Wandering, friend and may you found plenty of wonder today. I. LOVE. THIS.
I have given up on being Freshly Pressed- seems I am forever under their radar or not what they are looking for–but I put a lot of store in your opinion and if you love it then I have succeeded! Thanks Brigitte
I find that I am most at peace in my ‘wondering’ and ‘wandering’ when I am near any water….lake, creek, ocean…. Diane
come to think of it, so am I
p.s. love this font!…..
I like it too–I am trying to be careful!
I feel extreme guilt when I wander and wonder. Like I always have to be straight and focused.. Programmed that wandering is not productive.
many of us are–that is why we have to let go sometimes and just wander–it is hard when you are a “grown up”
Beautiful post Lou, brings back memories.
we have a lot of the same ones
This is lovely writing, too, LouAnn, and makes me want to wander and wonder. At this time of year the snow just is too deep for wandering. Except on snowshoes and, darn it, it’s really almost too deep for snowshoes. Wandering loses its joy when you’re exhausted and sweating. But shall look forward to spring when the woods open up again.
it was your post today that inspired me to write this
Wow~~thank you! No wonder I liked it. 🙂
You would like where I live — lots of forest paths to wander and wonder at the marvels of nature.
sounds wonderful!
That was a beautiful piece to read, it really did show how you can wonder while wandering 😀
I have a creek close to my place where it is my haven to enjoy wondering 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
you are a very lucky girl–I am close to a lake so I sometimes go down and wonder there
what is it about water? My wandering place was a nearby river. This is a beautiful piece and brought back memories which I just may have to blog about!
I was inspired by another blogger–and I seem to have inspired you–cannot wait to read your piece
pass it on, I guess! Some of my best writings (my opinion, of course) have been inspired by others.
🙂
me too
I concur with Brigitte, this was so poetic (despite being written in prose). Just reading it made me feel calmer, which is saying a lot as my mind has been running flat out in circles since last week. I could do with some wandering right now though perhaps without the wondering since I’m wondering a little too much at the moment.
I loved this post LouAnn :). It made me wander through my memories back to my childhood summers when I used to wander by myself on an island in the 1000 Islands near Kingston, Ontario and sit on my favourite rocks looking out over the river wondering at the beauty before me. Those were happy and peaceful moments.
I am glad you shared–sounds wonderful
Such an inspiring piece, Lou Ann! I love the picture created in my mind, of you as a little girl sitting by the crick. We’re never too old to be ‘Happy Wonderers’. 🙂
I agree with you–and when I wandered it was one of the few times I did not have my nose in a book
This is so lovely Lou Ann!
a high compliment coming from you! thanks Julie
Such a lovely piece of writing Lu Ann, it took me back to my childhood too, and I think I do a fair bit of it now, as I wander down to my rock above the sea and sit and wonder !!!
it is wonderful to have a place to call you own that you can faithfully visit and wonder
This was such a lovely piece LouAnn. 🙂
thanks LuAnn–appreciate it!
Makes me want to wander a bit. I wonder a lot already 🙂 I travel quite a lot, both for work and to vacation. But I don’t think I ever really get to wander. Thought provoking! ~ Sheila