Why Saying Yes to Life Brings Wonder?

One of the greatest spiritual practices I know is surprisingly simple. Say yes to life. Not necessarily to every request or every circumstance, but to the miracle of being alive. To me, saying yes is living with wonder.

It is seeing the world through fresh eyes, like a child discovering life for the very first time. Children naturally live in what Zen calls beginner's mind. Everything is new. Everything is fascinating. A cardboard box becomes a castle. A stick becomes a magic wand. A butterfly becomes the most important event of the day.

They remind us that joy doesn't come from having more. It comes from seeing more.

As we grow older, it's easy to lose that sense of amazement. We become familiar with the extraordinary until it feels ordinary.

But what if we chose to notice again?

A hummingbird hovering outside the window becomes a fascinating wonder or a messenger. The fragrance of a rose unfolding in bloom is life’s magic. The quiet strength of a tree whose roots reach deep into the earth while its branches stretch toward the sky can be majestic, stabilizing. These are not small things. They are everyday miracles.

Sometimes I walk through a grocery store and think, "How extraordinary! I have the freedom to have anything I want.”  I slip into my car and marvel that this faithful companion can carry me almost anywhere I wish to go.

I look at my phone and smile. With a few taps, I can listen to almost any song ever recorded or watch a favorite movie. I can talk with a loved one across the world, and capture a beautiful sunset. I can learn something new in moments.

Even artificial intelligence continues to amaze me. It offers new ways to explore ideas, express creativity, and learn from one another.

The more I pay attention, the more I realize that life is overflowing with gifts I once took for granted. Wonder expands awareness. Gratitude opens the heart. Together they transform ordinary moments into sacred ones.

Charles Fillmore beautifully wrote, "We increase whatever we praise, and the whole creation responds to praise and is glad." I have found that to be true.

Whatever I appreciate seems to grow in my awareness. When I praise beauty, I notice more beauty. When I appreciate kindness, I encounter more kindness. When I celebrate life, life seems to meet me with even more reasons to celebrate.

Wonder is magnetic. It opens us to possibilities we might otherwise overlook.

So today, I invite you to say yes. Yes, to the sunrise. Yes, to the laughter of a child. Yes to learning something new. Yes, to the beauty hidden inside ordinary moments.

Marvel at the tiniest miracles. Pause long enough to really see them. Let gratitude become your natural response.

The world never stops being wonderful, but sometimes we simply forget how to look.

So, begin seeing life with wonder once again. You will discover that every day it will quietly say "yes" to you.