#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Leafy Brook, Akron, Ohio

In the middle of the night, awake, I felt anxious about getting up early and leaving. But when the alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. I got up, packed, and Frank got up, and I ran into Perri, even, in the kitchen, who said she’s been up since 1:00 a.m. for no reason. So it was a busy house well before dawn. Frank kindly drove me into the airport, and then once on the plane I was glad to be going to Ohio. A very quick trip, and all smooth. I even was able to check into my hotel room before noon. Rainy and cool, a bit dreary at the hotel, but I changed and went for a walk. Nothing special to see, but there’s always something special to see: this brook near a conservation area. I couldn’t find the trail. But I got five miles in, and it was only a dribbling, occasional rain. It was good that I drove the twenty minutes to Kent Stage and got there early so I could do some work before checking in to the conference. Lots of friendly poets and scientists at the reception. Tonight the speakers are Maria Popova and Diane Ackerman. Amazingly, Maria’s flight was. canceled due to weather and she couldn’t be there in person, so she appeared via zoom on a massive video scream, and Diane Ackerman, her co-speaker, sat in a chair on stage, under the massive screen, looking into a video monitor so she could talk to Maria. Maria wasn’t present in person, but she totally dominated the event visually. Both are brilliant, fascinating women and the talk was totally worthwhile. All about the value of wonder.

What makes life livable is our ability — our willingness — to move through the world wonder-smitten by reality. The most wonderful thing about wonder is that it knows no scale, no class, no category — it can be found in a geranium or in a galaxy, in the burble of a brook or in the Goldberg Variations."

~ Maria Popova