Behind the sleep story: “The Natural Wonders of the World” 🌎
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
― W. B. Yeats
Last month, I loved going behind the scenes of my Sleep Story, “Ancient Paths of Anatolia.” Today, I’m thrilled to share that my latest story for Calm was just released this week! It’s called “The Natural Wonders of the World,” and was beautifully narrated by French actress Eva Green.
The story explores three different wonders across the world. I always love to draw on my own experiences for a story — to help the details feel as fresh and real as possible — so I’m incredibly grateful to have witnessed each wonder I included myself.
I wrote about the rich colors and striated stones of the Grand Canyon. . .
The beautiful harbor of Rio de Janeiro, filled with hundreds of islands and surrounded by soaring peaks. . .
And perhaps the most awe-inspiring wonder of all, the Northern Lights.
I wrote this story at the very beginning of the year, before the pandemic hit and sheltering in place became our new normal. So what I find especially curious now is the lesson I wove throughout the story — a lesson I’ve learned so deeply myself over the past decade of traveling.
Here’s how the story ends:
What matters even more than witnessing the wonders of the world, is seeing our own world with an explorer’s sense of awe.
Just like the auroras, moments of wonder are always waiting for us, hoping we’ll step outside, widen our eyes, and look for a shift in the light or a turn in the breeze. Wonder can be our companion, our guide, our friend, transforming the ordinary into extraordinary.
And if we open our minds and let it, wonder can find us almost anywhere — on the crest of a mountain, at the bottom of a coral reef, in the heart of a rainforest, along the shores of a tranquil sea, and sometimes, when we least expect it, right in our very own backyard.
I’m not sure there could be a more unexpected time for wonder than a global shutdown, when our homes and backyards have become our entire world. But the story’s release this week has reminded me how vital it is that we keep our eyes and hearts open to the smallest moments of wonder waiting for us.
Maybe it’s the nest of baby sparrows in the wreath on your front door. Maybe it’s the feeling of sand beneath your bare feet, on a long-awaited trip to the beach. Maybe it’s birdsong, or sunshine, or the wind stirring in the trees beyond your window.
Wherever it may be, here’s to finding wonder in the everyday,
Candace
In case you missed it:
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My new book, Stuff Every Tea Lover Should Know, is out now!
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