The Wonder We Lost
And How to Find It Again
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This week I took the train towards the capital. A short journey, about half an hour. I put my headphones on, closed my eyes, and listened to some meditations along the way.
Until I heard enthusiastic voices nearby:
“Wow, fantastic! Look at that! Incredible!”
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A family of foreign tourists, pressed against the windows, completely amazed by the landscapes we were passing through. Monuments, river views, details I hadn’t noticed in years.
I spent the rest of the journey watching them — fascinated by how much they were seeing in a route that had become invisible to me.
That moment reminded me of a concept in mindfulness called beginner’s mind — the ability to look at something familiar as if for the first time. With openness, curiosity, and without the filters of routine.
We gradually lose that. And when we stop finding interest in what’s around us, we reach for our phones instead — scrolling endlessly through content designed to capture our attention.
But perhaps what we’re looking for is much closer than we think.
The next time you make a familiar journey, try looking around as if it were the first time. You might not need tourists beside you to help. You can simply decide to look with different eyes.
I explore moments like this every week at Zen Breaks — a newsletter about mindfulness, meditation, Qi Gong, and the small art of slowing down.
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