To Be an Explorer of Worlds
Some Thoughts on Wonder, Curiosity, Day 15, and Imagination
I once was given a 1-star review from a frustrated reader because I did not give enough answers. I was a terrible writer because I just left the reader with more questions.
Be forewarned. This is my goal as a writer. Not to offer you simple solutions and quick answers.
But to lead you into the journey of asking your own questions and finding the courage to explore them with delight and abandon.
This year for our 100 Days of Wonder, I’ve been writing my responses instead of painting them.
And let me tell you that writing has been the best kind of struggle and magic and frustration and joy all rolled into one.
It is opening up doors in my heart I thought life had rusted shut. And reminding me how much words mean.
Ever heard that rhyme… sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. What a load of utter rubbish.
Words can hurt deeper places than stones ever can. Words get embedded in our skin, lodged in our hearts, and burrow into our minds.
They can latch on and leech, but they can also set free and heal.
Many of you know I’m writing a book. And in writing a book, I am returning to my first art form and love… words.
Curiosity as a Gateway to Wonder
One of my favorite Irish poets, John O’Donohue, says the following:
“A question is one of the forms in which wonder expresses itself.”1
He goes on to talk about how one of the reasons we wonder is because we are limited.
The very things that limit us can be the exact same things that open us up to more wonder.
Wonder shows up INSIDE our limits and our narrowing places, not in spite of them.
That puts a whole new spin on the hard seasons. The seasons when our bodies struggle or the things around us feel like the apocalypse unfolding 255 characters at a time.
In times of uncertainty, it is normal to gravitate toward answers. Things that feel steady. I know I do.
But what if the way through the storm isn’t charted with answers, but by learning to ask better questions?
Writing a book about wonder in the middle of the current upheaval of things has been leaving stretch marks on my soul. In a good way.
It has been vulnerable and tenuous and utterly worthy of all the effort it takes.
I may be biased here as a writer, but our words hold and shape our worlds. I think some of the greatest adventures we can ever embrace lie in the landscapes of our own imaginations and stories.
Here’s one I’ve been exploring of late. Seeing as EXPLORE is our Day 15 word.
A Library of Lost Words
The last 2 months, when I sat down to write, it has felt like having a staring contest with a stubborn bank of fog.
I found far more anxiety than wonder if I’m honest. Sometimes wonder as a practice feels more like practice. And that is totally normal.
This weekend, as the light lengthened and the clocks changes, time leapt an hour into the future, things started to shift.
And the shift has been this.
The ability to find the stillness needed to explore the innerscape of my own imagination.
What if all the words I thought were lost were actually carefully held in a library, just waiting for me to walk around in and explore?
The shelves filled with whimsical books with ornate spines. (Please tell me I’m not the only one with a Pinterest board of whimsical antique book spines.)
What if I could cozy up in this library with my favorite cup of hot tea and just enjoy being there, knowing everything I need is there and nothing is lost or missing.
Beloved, what if you had a storehouse of resources on the inside of you, just waiting to be discovered?
What would your storehouse look like?
Is it a garden or a greenhouse? Maybe a library? Maybe it’s a coffee house with an art studio filled ideas, just waiting for you to play with them and make them your own?
I was the kid who could get lost in her imagination and entertain herself for hours. Little did I know that was a creative superpower.
Exploration starts with curiosity. I ask things like:
What would it look like?
What does it smell like?
What does it feel like?
How would I feel if ___ could happen?
What if _____?
An Extended Wonder Journaling Prompt
Draw, doodle, describe, or paint what your inner storehouse of resources looks like. What kind of things are there? How are they organized? What delights you about this place? What makes you curious? What is surprising?
The constant barrage of noise and overwhelm of rapid fire current event crises and social media overload are meant to do two things…
Keep us unsteady and exhausted
Separate us from ourselves and our inner resources (like the ability to ask creative questions, be tenaciously curious, and not be lulled into buying things we genuinely don’t need).
Because if we are frantic balls of tired nerves, we are easily controllable. (And easy marketing targets— but that’s a whole ‘nother soapbox.)
Each day, I am choosing to:
Not listen to news until 5 PM and then only 60 minutes tops. Usually much less. I listen to my capacity. Which I define as the point anxiety starts to rise. Then I know I’m done for the day.
Skim headlines. If I can’t take an action to be part of fixing or changing it, I either file it for when I can or let it be for the moment, knowing I can’t do every part. Just my part. If I try to do everything, I will end up doing nothing at all.
Read books and write first thing in the morning by hand. It is so grounding.
Do my important work of showing up here, in my business, and writing this book.
Notice when anxiety spins up to a place I get close to feeling cut off from my inner reserve. Then I go outside, paint, do things that soothe and reconnect me to that reserve.
Those are the things I’m exploring.
How are you doing, and what are YOU exploring? Let us know in the comments.
Drop a link to your Instagram profile if you are so inclined. ☺️ Or to a particular 100 Days of Wonder 2025 post on Instagram.
How are you creating from these prompts?
I love hearing from you and seeing your work. Please make sure you tag me @dmicheleperry on Instagram!
The next set of words is coming in a few days. It’s hard to believe we are so far along.
I am not doing to much creating per se. I am doing zentangles which in truth can be very creative but also a great way to practice and destress all at once. I am traveling a lot, solo which is new for me I am gathering inspiration. Miles of snow covered scenery mountains, rivers, streams and fields are all cataloged in my brain and in pictures on my phone.
I have been enjoying my 100 days of wonder and doing small collage. My IG account is @vickilholloway