The Wonder

My baby sister has taught me more things about wonder than anyone else in this world.

It was my dad's bday last Tuesday, and my brother and I had 'shared' a present for him, which was this bracelet which I bought from SK Jewellery..something that my dad would like..my sister made a present for my dad, but we all didn't know what it was because she had refused to let all of us take a peek at what she was making..

So at Jack's Place, my brother and me presented our present to Dad, and of course he was happy with the bracelet..my sister decided that it was time Daddy focused on her present, so she presented to him this super long piece of string that seemed to be made by connecting many short strings together, along with a handmade card..and the conversation went like this:

Dad: Wah thank you! But ah, what is this?
Sister: Your present la!
Dad: I know its my present. But what is it for? Jie Jie and Kor Kor gave me a bracelet, but your present is what? Necklace ah?
Sister (throwing her hands in the air with excitement): No!! It's a string!!

There was a stunned silence for a second, and then we all burst out in laughter.

Don't you see? The sense of wonder provided by the simplest things in life that has captivated us when we were merely a child, has grown in appetite as we become physically older. As a child, the idea of a string as a present is wonderful enough for us. But as we age, the idea of a string can no longer fulfill our desire for wonder..as we age, we need to know the purpose of that string before we can be filled with wonder, and even then, the knowledge of what that string is for may not even captivate us as much as the idea of that same string to a child..

Our capacity and appetite to wonder grows as we age..and that is why you see teenagers, young working adults and tai tais jumping from one thing to another..from that lollipop, to that desired canvas shoes that all your schoolmates are wearing, to that latest top from Zara that you just have to get, to that limited edition Chanel handbag, to that new series from BMW..where does it stop?

Maybe it doesnt have to be material items, maybe in terms of relationships..from that first crush in primary school, those puppy love days..to holding hands, to little hugs here and there, to the little kisses, to the deeper ones..where does it stop?

How many times did we obtain that which we thought would give us the ultimate satisfaction, only to realise that it has failed us completely?

From my opinion, we can't stop that natural growth of our desire to obtain wonder. God, is the only person big enough to fill our appetites for wonder. Nothing else is ever enough.