It arrived!
Squealing with glee, Sammie grabbed the catalog and flopped down on the floor. Immediately she turned to the section on dolls. With a heartfelt sigh, she lovingly perused every page.
After a few minutes, she brought the catalog over at her mom, “Mommy, I just love this new doll. Look at her. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Mom smiled and nodded her agreement, “She’s certainly pretty and looks a lot like you.”
“I’d really like her for Christmas,” Sammie emphatically stated while nodding her head. “And her party dress, too.”
At this time of year, it’s easy to become cynical about all the marketing directed at our children.
Christmas catalogs flood your mailboxes, most of which you never asked to receive.
Television ads tantalize our children with every possible toy and gadget.
I remember the days of the “Wish Book”, Sears & Roebuck’s annual gift catalog. Each year it arrived via the mail carrier the week after Thanksgiving.
Brightly colored.
Glossy pages.
A child’s fantasy world of all things toy.
I’d carefully turn each page, slowly marveling at the toys and wonder if maybe, just maybe, I could have one of those beautiful dolls. Or maybe, perhaps, an Easy Bake Oven? I oohed and aahed over the Barbie accessories, especially the convertible.
No thought of the price tag.
Just dreams, pure and simple dreams.
When was the last time you experienced wide-eyed wonder?
As I watched Sammie peruse that simple catalog again and again and again, I was drawn to her wonder. Her delight. Her excitement.
This Christmas season, unpack your wonder. Dust it off a bit. Open your eyes wide and gasp in delight.
Whatever you do this wondrous season, take time to:
- walk outside under a starlit sky
- pause to watch the falling snow
- sit in front of a crackling fire and allow yourself to be mesmerized
- enter into the joy and excitement of the children in your life
- go flying down the hill on a sled
- catch some snowflakes on your tongue
- slow down
Experience the joy of wonder.
And when you do, tell me about it by leaving a comment below. I pray I never get too old to wonder.
Live your legacy today,
Kirsten D. Samuel
Aftershock Recovery Coach
8-week Program, Custom-paced Coaching, Remote, or In-person Sessions
