Calvin and Hobbes Said It First
My youngest recently made his way through the full Calvin and Hobbes catalogue — all 3151 strips. For days, he’d randomly call out, “Mom, come over here and read this one!”
And that’s how I found a strip that is basically the cliff notes of my book “Raising Awe-Seekers: How the Science of Wonder Helps Our Kids Thrive.”
One of my favorite correlated outcomes of awe is how it activates the “small self” — helping us zoom out and reframe. As I wrote for CNN last week, awe is an emotional superfood — readjusting our perspective and boosting wellness.
It’s easy to talk about young kids and wonder — how a 3-year-old’s eyes grow wide when they find a robin’s nest. But I’m even more interested in how this emotion can support today’s teenagers.
We know that too many teens are stressed-out, overprogrammed, lonely and screen saturated. But they are also at an age where their rapid brain development and heightened emotional sensitivity prime them to feel wonder.
Click here to read the whole article:
One Week In
“Raising Awe-Seekers” has been out in the world for a week. And while those early blurbs and trade reviews are lovely — there is something truly amazing about reading the thoughts of a stranger who took the time to read your book AND write down their thoughts about it.
Awe Diary Excerpts, Days 134 - 150
As long-time readers know, I'm keeping a daily awe diary this year — one small moment that evoked that sense of wonder.
Day 134
I was at the Celtics game, and a young father sat next to me. He was babywearing his 3-month-old (she was nestled on his chest & had tiny noise cancelling headphones!). When we all jumped up and cheered -- including the baby's mom -- he stayed seated, keeping the baby calm, giving her a bottle, etc.
I vividly remember what it was like to be 3-months postpartum, and I love that this dad took on 100% of the care for 3 hours while his partner got to just enjoy herself.
Day 137
I took a long evening walk in Boston and passed dozens of new college grads in their caps and gowns, surrounded by loved ones.  You could just feel the radiating joy and pride.  I offered a quick congratulations to everyone I saw wearing their robes — and without exception, they smiled and thanked me. I love these moments of collective effervescence.
Day 140
It’s 8:59 and I am in the foyer of a public library with 15 other people, waiting for the doors to open at 9am. This is giving me faith in humanity.
Day 142
I just sent this email to my 4th grade teacher whom I haven't seen in over 30 years: "Hello from a former student circa 1986! I mentioned you in my newsletter today — as I was tracing my journey as a writer — and thought you might like to see it. Thank you for being a transformational figure in my life. Your ripple effects continue.
Day 143
Today is the 143rd day of the year. Fred Rogers used 143 as his code for "I Love You" - based on the number of letters in each word. What I didn't know until today is that "143 Day" is officially observed in Pennsylvania as a day of kindness.
Day 144
 I stopped to chat with a neighbor. We were talking about all the things. And then he said:” when I’m feeling down about the state of the world, I look at these trees and listen to these birds and remember that this will all be around long after we are gone.”
Day 145
Three 11yo boys are playing at my house. After hours of marbles races and outdoor play, they couldn't decide what to do next.
Boy 1: Do you want to play Mario Kart?
Boy 2: That sounds good.
Boy 3: I don't really want to, but you two go ahead.
Boy 1: We won't play if you don't want to -- we want to have fun WITH you!
And now they are playing Boggle. I love these good humans.
Day 149
Elementary school spring concert. Watching my kid jam on the piano in the jazz band to close out the evening, while littler kids formed a conga line up front and danced in their festive spring-concert-fancy outfits. Post-concert heart-felt thank-you convos with the many teachers who have cared for my kids this year. This is the good stuff.
Day 150
Tomorrow is my late grandfather’s birthday. He was well known in our neighborhood growing up for the incredible iris bed that he tended  until his death at age 98.  This morning, the purple irises in my yard bloomed.
Cheers,
Deborah
