Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder

by Don Bowden
(Ladysmith BC)

I remember a dark starless night at the wheel of my fishing boat heading out to sea from Claquot Sound. The wooden boat was quiet except for the hum of the diesel engine pushing us forward. As I passed a small island and pointed the bow straight out to sea I could feel gusts of wind and the swell of the ocean pushing against me. Then came the sound of the rain drumming on the wheelhouse and the windows. About a mile past the small island in the open sea I was engulfed in a electrical storm the likes of which I have never seen before or after in my 18 years fishing. Lightning flashed and illuminated the ocean waves around me and the thunder crashed close behind. Over and over again the complete darkness was lit so I could see the huge waves towering over the boat. For the next hour I was awed by the power of the storm around me. The feeling of awe that it gave me is still the same as it was 20 years ago. It humbled me and gave me a sense of how small I was in the face of such power. The power of the wind and the waves and the thunder and lightning was awesome. And it filled my heart with wonder
I never want to lose that sense of wonder. I hope you never lose your sense of wonder.