The Last Stop - A Closing Thought From Between Stations Magazine
A Sense of Wonder
"A sense of wonder is the mind's way of reminding you that the world is bigger than your plans."
Think back to when you were a kid for a second. I bet you had some pretty big, wild plans. Not really about what you wanted to be when you grew up, but what you wanted to do. Fly a jet. Climb a mountain. Race a fast car. Go to space, even. Or maybe your version was a little quieter — sailing across the ocean, biking across the whole state, or just landing somewhere far away and completely new. Whatever it was, there were no limits on it. No budget, no logistics, no "but how would that even work." Looking back, honestly, that was a great headspace to live in.
When Wonder Gets Buried
And then... we grow up. And somehow that sense of wonder just gets buried under everything else — work, bills, deadlines, all the little responsibilities that pile up day after day. You don't even notice it happening. One day you look up and adulting has basically taken the wheel. "It's gonna happen" turns into "one day it'll happen," and then eventually just kind of fades into "one day... maybe." Nobody decides to let go of that wonder. It just gets crowded out, a little at a time.
And look, that makes sense. When life gets full, you focus on what's right in front of you, because it matters. We build careers, buy homes, raise families, take care of the people we love. A lot of us are genuinely happy living that life. But here's the thing — that sense of wonder, those dreams you had as a kid? They never actually left. They're still in there somewhere, kind of jumping up and down, waving their arms, trying to get your attention. That curiosity, that itch to go see or try something new — it didn't disappear. It's just resting. Waiting for you to give it a little nudge. And the fact that it's still there tells you something: you've still got what it takes to go after it, in whatever shape makes sense for your life now.
Finding Wonder Again
Maybe you can't climb Everest — but you can find a trail near you and fall in love with hiking. Maybe race cars aren't happening — but a road trip with no real plan can scratch that same itch. Maybe space is off the table — but you could join a stargazing group and finally learn what you're looking at up there. And hey, if some of those bigger dreams are still within reach, go for it. If new ones have taken their place along the way, that's great too. This is your story, and whatever you're chasing — big or small — it's worth going after. So, take that first step. Or if you've already started, just take the next one.
Whatever else happens, try not to let go of your sense of wonder. It's one of the things that reminds you you're really here, really living — still curious, still able to be surprised by the world. Life will try to convince you that wonder is something you outgrow, something for kids. Don't buy into that.
It never left you, you know. It's just been sitting quietly in the back of the room this whole time, waiting for you to notice. So go say hi. Tap it on the shoulder like you're catching up with an old friend. Don't be surprised if it lights up the second it sees you — it's been waiting a long time for this.
As always, slow down, look around, and enjoy the journey…between stations.
