I transport myself back in time as I close my eyes.  My family and I are driving along the road, as the sun sets over the horizon, with endless blue stretching beyond the palm trees lining the coast.  As I look out the window, I see people getting out of their cars, and walking towards the beach.  The waves crash over the sand, the sounds of its crashing ringing through my ears.  The smell of saltwater is in the air, but there is something else I sense.  People are chattering, and the excitement of the other kids is palpable.  My heart flutters as I try to figure out what is going on, feeling my mother’s gaze behind me.  And that’s when I see what everyone is looking at.

The sound of David Attenborough’s voice flutters into my mind, and I remember that every year, the honu, the name given to sea turtles by Native Hawaiians, lay their eggs on beaches around the world.  The vivid images that I saw on nature shows were miraculously transported into my real life.  As I come back to my surroundings, I see green figures in the water slowly moving towards the sand, gradually climbing onshore with the pulls and pushes of the waves.  I want to go closer, but fear washes over me as adrenaline rushes through my body.  I hesitate.

But then I hear my mom say, “It’s okay, you can go closer to it”.  It brings me the comfort and courage to approach this ancient-looking creature, with the vibrant greens of its shell contrasting beautifully with the golden colors of sunbeams radiating off the sand.  I can feel the grains of sand coat my feet, just as they coated the flippers of the honu.  Fear gave way to wonder, and gratitude for being able to see these animals in person, instead of through a screen.  Nobody was allowed to touch them, but that only increased the awe of being in their presence.

Back in the present, I read papers published by scientific journals, and I realized the importance of moments like these in my past.  Awe supports our emotional well-being and even reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  In this realization, that childish drive to be curious and to wonder about the world, seems so much less childish.  I know that I will always try to find wonder in the world around us, from the seeming magic that is modern medicine to the beauty of the Colorado Rockies, to the complexity of the cultures of my fellow human beings around the world. Embrace your inner child, and be in awe of the world around us.