The Wonder of Wonder

A guy said some stuff. And it really stuck.

Neskowin Beach, Oregon | August vacation 2023

In my diverse range of…let’s call them, recovery groups and mental health circles, slogans and acronyms abound. They are the chicken-feed people peck on for fast feelies—and they can sometimes work.

Some deliver gratitude and some are just plain groaners. These slogans are the very spokes in the colossal self-help wheel that, honestly, would be so playful to parody, but to do so would be a disservice to those they help. And that includes me. There exists a whole feedbag out there full of sayings I chew on for mental boosts.

Some goodies include Progress Not Perfection, and It’s Not The Destiny—It’s The Journey. Those work for me. And I’m guessing they’re universal, not just posters on your counsellor’s wall.

Here’s a popular acronym to keep a person balanced—for one to literally pause, and catch and care for certain warning signs before veering toward otherness:

HALT — Hungry. Angry. Lonely. Tired.

Here’s an old adage, which, depending on your mood, can be an eye-opener or a total eye-roller:

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it “The Present.”

This next one makes me a little itchy. It’s a compromising loophole many jump through to avoid the concept of God in the more ‘spiritual’ programs out there.

Instead, non-believers are encouraged to think of the word God more as a schmaltzy, secular acronym to replace any agnostic reservations:

GOD - Good Orderly Direction

GOD - Great Out Doors

GOD - Group Of Drunks

OMG? Or LOL? You decide. It’s pretty subjective, IMHO.

But the other day I heard something new when someone shared their vulnerable story. And it really stuck with me. No explanation why I now carry it around permanently. But I thought I’d share it with you (very kind) readers and subscribers of The Chase.

Cannon Beach, Oregon | August vacation 2023

He said something to the effect of this:

“We can never get our innocence back. Ever. We will never be two years old and have innocence again.

But here’s what we do have. And it’s even better.

We have curiosity and Wonder. Wonder is limitless. Wonder is all ours.

So go out there—and Be Wonderful.”

Happy Thanksgiving, guys and gals.