In our world with all of the information to which we have access few things are left to amaze people.  Frequently I fall in to the group of people who is not often awestruck. I have seen technology advance at extraordinary rates and doubt that it will do anything but continue to do so.

Yet with all that I see, I’m actually a little surprised when things do truly amaze me. And this little list doesn’t even begin to cover every one of those things but it is a start.

1. The human body – who couldn’t be amazed by the human body or the body of any living creature, actually. We start with one cell. That cell multiplies (or divides – I never was that good with math) to create more cells and those create more cells and so on. Those cells become different types of cells that create different systems within the body. All of the systems work with the others. The nervous system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, the immune system, the endocrine system, the reproductive system, the respiratory system, the muscular system and the others I’m sure I’m forgetting. I know so little about how it all works and there is so much to know! Every minute of every day there are a million little processes going on inside of us. I’m amazed at how complicated it all is. I’m amazed at how it all works.

And on a personal note, I’m amazed at how resilient it is. I am amazed that the stroke deadened a part of my brain. It took away my ability to speak. It took away the use of my right arm (and if you know my left arm, you know that that pretty much left me with no arms). It took away my ability to walk well. And those are just the physical effects. We won’t dive into the ocean of psychological effects. But here we are 3 years later and people are often surprised when I tell them I had a stroke. So what died in the part of the brain has been redirected and relearned by a different part. How freaking amazing is that? It’s like telling the carpenter, “Hey, I need you to go and learn to be an accountant now. Quick.”

2. FedEx – I know this probably seems silly but I am truly amazed by FedEx. When I think about the fact that something that I held in my hands yesterday is now in the hands of someone in Maryland this morning, I am awestruck. I mean think of how information was transported in the past. From being delivered via horseback and stagecoach to train to automobile to airplane, mail has continued to be delivered. And of course when we throw in radios, telephones, televisions, fax machines and email, we have even more ways that information is being delivered. But to sign your name on something at 6 pm on Wednesday and for that signature to be in the hands of another person all the way across the country on Thursday by 10 am or even earlier, well it’s just amazing to me. How far we’ve come from the Pony Express.

3. Everything is made – Ok this one is not so much a thing as a realization I had. I was on a plane stuck between two business men flying to wherever. They were talking to one another despite this little lady between them (I was a bit more little at the time). And I’ve realized that business people will be salesmen anywhere and are always looking to build their network. Except with therapists. Thus my conversations with strangers on planes are often pretty short. Never has anyone asked me for my card from a plane conversation and I’ve never parted ways with anyone saying to them, “So the next time you’re in Dallas and mentally ill, go ahead and give me a call.” This is only true for planes, however. Everywhere else is a different story entirely. People in grocery stores, department stores, people doing repairs on my home, car, or dog, and especially people in bars feel that any of those settings is the appropriate place to tell me all of their issues and struggles. It’s rather bizarre actually but wow how I have digressed.

These two businessmen were talking about what they do. And the gentleman on my left said, “My company makes the bleachers in Texas. Chances are if you’re sitting on bleachers in Texas, my company made them.” I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, partially by choice but mostly because my mind jumped in to this realization. I’ve sat on bleachers. Many times. And never had it crossed my mind that someone made them, that there is a company out there that manufactures these things that I rest on. I started looking around the plane. Someone had made the seat I was sitting on. Someone had made the little tray on the seat back. Someone made my carry-on bag that had inevitably shifted in flight. Someone had made the plane, lots of somebodies. These things were all somebody’s job. Everywhere we look, we will see something that somebody made. It is somewhat overwhelming if you spend a lot of time thinking about it. Every now and again the realization hits me again. And it amazes me every time.

4. Cameras – How can something capture an image that I see and store it in a little box? How does it see what I see? I know that I could easily look up how they work. And if you know, please don’t share the knowledge with me. As hungry as I am to know things, I prefer to stay ignorant on this. It feels like magic and I like having a little magic in my world.