The Secret of Living Well? I Wonder …

“Perhaps the secret of living well is not having all the answers, but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.”  Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

One of my favorite words is the word “wonder,” and in particular the interplay of two of its definitions – to marvel (looking with wonder – “wow!”) and to question (I wonder – “how?”). 

This past weekend I spent almost an hour with my adult daughters and niece watching a dragonfly nymph emerge from its exoskeleton, spread and dry its wings, and take its first flight.  The wonderment we experienced in watching this metamorphosis and then reading and talking more about it was absolutely exhilarating.   We interspersed moments of “wow!” with moments of “how?”  The more we learned, the deeper the mystery became, including the evidence that indicates dragonflies were some of the first winged insects to evolve 300 million years ago. 

Stop and consider that last statement for a moment.  To think that we can in any way get our heads around the concept of 300 million years is laughable, yet, there were the four of us talking about it as if in some way we grasped the immensity of what we had just witnessed even as we were in awe of the absolute mystery of it all. 

Such is also true for our professional journey in healthcare.  The intersection of the human body with disease with the social interconnection is one overflowing with wonder.   We have so many opportunities to “marvel” and to “question” if we are present and attentive.  

But what made our “dragonfly adventure” particularly special was opportunity to share it with each other.   And that is true for our professional journey as well.  Don’t squander the opportunity to share it with others, starting with your PeerRx partner.  Through pursuing meaningful relationships to “marvel and question” together, perhaps the “secret” for living well isn’t such a secret after all.