The alarm goes off an hour earlier than usual, but I’m not groaning. Instead, I slip quietly out of bed, pull on my shoes, and step into the morning world that waits just outside my door.

As homeschool mothers, we pour ourselves into our children’s education, into managing our households, into being everything to everyone. We research curricula at midnight, referee sibling disputes by day, and somehow find time to make three meals that at least two people will actually eat. In the beautiful chaos of homeschooling, we can lose ourselves completely.

But what if twenty minutes could change everything?

 The Birth of Wonder Walks

My wonder walks began during a season of transition when I needed time to be still and hear God. But if I’m honest, they continued out of necessity—I felt dried up, running on empty, going through the motions without the spark that drew me to homeschooling in the first place. I needed something to awaken my soul before I could awaken young minds.

So I started walking. Not power-walking with fitness goals or podcast-listening with productivity in mind, but wandering with intention to simply be. To pray. To notice. To breathe deeply and remember that I’m part of something magnificent.

What Wonder Looks Like

These walks have taught me to see my neighborhood—and myself—with new eyes. I’ve felt the sun’s first rays warm my shoulders like a gentle blessing, discovered olive trees three blocks from my house (who knew?) and loquat trees heavy with golden fruit, free for the picking. I’ve stood breathless before a tiny hummingbird, its wings a silver whisper against the morning air, suspended in perfect grace as it sips nectar. In these moments, the ordinary world reveals its hidden magic.

Some mornings I run and jump up on rocks, balance on curbs like a child before God, feeling utterly ridiculous and utterly alive. Other days I stand still and let the breeze carry away tension I didn’t know I was holding. I smell lavender, rub interesting petals or leaves between my fingers as I listen to the Pray as You Go app—a practice of simply being human.

In a world obsessed with doing, it is so vital to hold onto just being. These quiet moments of presence remind me that before I am a teacher or mother or household manager, I am a human being created to experience wonder.

The Sacred Twenty Minutes (or more when you can)

Here’s what I’ve learned: we need time that belongs solely to the restoration of our spirits. For me, that’s found in nature, but yours might look completely different.

Maybe your wonder time is curling up with a novel that transports you, creating something beautiful with your hands, or dancing to music that moves your soul. The activity matters less than the intention: to step away from responsibility and step into joy.

The Ripple Effect

What amazes me most is how these morning walks transform not just my mornings, but my entire approach to homeschooling. When I begin the day having already experienced wonder, I bring that sense of discovery to our learning. My children see me returning with bright eyes and a peaceful spirit—they’re witnessing what it looks like to prioritize joy and make space for wonder.

Permission to Begin

If you’re thinking, “I don’t have twenty extra minutes,” I understand. But here’s the truth: we don’t find time, we make time. We choose it and protect it like the precious resource it is.

Start with ten minutes if twenty feels impossible, some days I get in a whole hour and some days it’s only fifteen. Try evening walks if mornings are chaos. Find your version of wonder—it doesn’t have to involve nature or early rising. It just has to fill you up instead of drain you out.

As homeschool mothers, we’re constantly giving. We can only give what we have. If we want to raise children who see wonder everywhere, we must first cultivate wonder in ourselves.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll slip on my shoes again and step into whatever wonder awaits. The world is full of it, friend—growing in your neighborhood, singing outside your window, waiting for you to notice.

What wonder will you discover when you give yourself permission to look?

*What does your sacred time look like? I’d love to hear about the practices that fill your cup and help you show up fully for your homeschool journey.*