"The World is So Hard. The World is So, So Wonderful."

Book launch thoughts on a beautiful morning

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On Tuesdays, my 8th grader begins her mornings at a local organic farm — a middle school experiential learning initiative. Spring on the farm = baby animals. She and a friend have dubbed themselves the “sheep whisperers,” and if I could describe the look on her face each week when she tells me about hanging out with the tiny lambs . . . even the one who, while nuzzling her neck last week, literally ate her necklace . . .

Book launch month is a special kind of chaos.

Book launch day — today — has odd peace around it.

It’s 60 degrees and sunny in New England, the neighborhood birds woke me up at 6am, the air smells like honeysuckle and cut grass, school is on the home stretch, and my oldest started the day excited to hang with sheep.

I’m just so grateful that — on a day I’m sending Raising Awe-Seekers into the world — the world reciprocated with small moments of wonder before 9am.

As I wrote in a Tiny Buddha essay that was published yesterday:

Here’s one thing I really love about this thoroughly human emotion: awe doesn’t require anything from us but our attention.

We don’t have to do anything to feel awe.

We don’t have to be anything we are not.

We just have to show up in the world, eyes and ears open.

On Saturday, I had a lovely conversation with a neighbor. He noticed me staring at some redwing blackbirds in a tree and came over to congratulate me on the book. The conversation quickly turned to catching up on life and our kids and our jobs. And then he said, “You know that forested stretch of road by the river? I pass that each day on my commute. When I’m feeling down about the state of the world, I look at those trees and remember that this will all be around long after we are gone.”

Yesterday, my son and his friend had a playdate with a kid who will be joining their school. They truly *love* this “welcome wagon” role and have done it several times together in the last couple of years. Their authentic kindness and joyful desire to bring new friends into their circle breaks my heart open.

Thank you readers, for being on this journey with me.

Writing this newsletter each week keeps me focused on those small, beautiful moments in this messy world.

I think this is the part where I say "I’d love it if you ordered my book or shared this newsletter or posted about it on your social channels or left a review.” And all of that would be delightful!

But even more, do me a favor on this launch day and look for one small something beautiful. Anything. Because this beauty and wonder is everything.

Cheers and thank you,

Deborah

P.S. If you do want to share, feel free to copy any of the images in this newsletter or on my website. Or share some of this amazing coverage about Raising-Aweseekers.

• Tiny Buddha: 365 Days of Wonder: The Magic of Starting an Awe Journal

• Good Day DC: Surprising Sources of Awe

• NPR’s MindShift: How Experiencing Wonder Helps Kids Learn

• Edutopia: 4 Ways to Facilitate Awe in the Classroom

• Greater Good Magazine: How Moments in Nature Help Kids Thrive

• Library Journal: Starred Review

• Edit Your Life Podcast: Raising Awe-Seekers with Deborah Farmer Kris

• Parent Venture: How the Science of Wonder Helps Our Kids Thrive

• Publishers Weekly: Q&A with Deborah Farmer Kris

• Tilt Parenting Podcast: Harnessing the Power of Awe in Our Parenting

• Beautifully Complex Podcast: Build Resilience and Joy with Awe and Wonder

• ChildBuilders Podcast: Raising Awe-Seekers

• Balanced Parent Podcast: Why Awe and Wonder Matter for Kids and Parents

• Think of the Children: Leaning into the things that spark awe

• The Kettle with Meagan Francis: Reorienting Ourselves Toward Awe