Wondering: A year of awakening

Bonny Boice
May 23
2 min read

Reflections on Enchantment, Leadership, and a Visit from Wonder

At the start of 2025, I chose a word to guide me—Wondering. Not the kind that fills up to-do lists or solves problems on demand, but the open, soul-deep kind.. The kind that slows you down. That makes space for awe. That listens for meaning beneath the noise.

I picked up Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May during a quiet visit to Kripalu in the Berkshires this past January. It was cold and still outside, and I was craving something equally still inside—a return to presence, to beauty, to curiosity. Something told me this book would help me begin.

And it has.

In her luminous, reflective voice, May offers no tidy answers—just permission to pay attention again. She writes:

“Enchantment is small wonder magnified through meaning, framed by the silence that allows us to perceive it.”

She speaks of the spiritual fatigue so many of us carry—and the gentle ways we can begin to soften it: by noticing a shift in light, by holding a ritual, by walking without purpose other than presence.

Reading her work has become a quiet companion to my year of Wondering. Noticing more. Questioning differently. Being with mystery instead of rushing through it.

A Visit From Wonder

Lately, I’ve been spending time with Phoenix, my daughter’s dog. She greets me like I’m her favorite human in the world—every single time. Her joy is boundless, her affection unfiltered. I often find myself wondering why she loves me so much.

Maybe it’s energy. Maybe it’s the stillness she feels around me. Or maybe, like all enchanted beings, She reminds me how instinctively animals know presence.

Animals are natural teachers of awe. They invite us to soften. To pay attention. To love without needing to explain why.

A Practice, Not a Destination

This isn’t about escape or self-improvement. It’s about practice. Wonder doesn’t arrive with fireworks. It hums quietly beneath the surface, waiting for us to attune. It hums beneath the surface, waiting for us to attune. For me, that’s meant:

- Finding awe on early morning walks with Harley

- Letting go of needing clarity before taking the next step

- Sitting in stillness long enough to feel mystery re-enter the room

May reminds us that enchantment isn’t just for the poets—it’s for all of us, especially when the world feels loud and uncertain.

Where This Leads

If you’ve been feeling unmoored, overstretched, or simply hungry for something real, I invite you to join me in this practice of Wondering—and subscribe to my new monthly LinkedIn newsletter., Ripples of Leadership, where I explore what it means to lead with heart, humility, and presence. This month, we’re exploring wonder as a leadership strength—and as a healing force.💌

Subscribe here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/ripples-of-leadership-7329136296138858497/