The great genius Albert Einstein was nicknamed by his parents as a child, der Depperte, or, the dopey one. Albert was so unusually slow in learning that his parents consulted a doctor about their young son who had such difficultly in speaking. Einstein later explained that his slow verbal development actually was an advantage since it allowed him 'to observe with wonder' the everyday things that others took for granted. He said that unlike others who puzzled over mysterious things, he was awestruck over the most commonplace. This exploration of the common paradoxically led Einstein to do the same with the cosmos. When asked, he defined his faith as a reverence for the creation of the universe and its laws, and the mysteriousness of their nature. If, like Einstein, you wish to experience the mysteriousness of life, then practice being slow to speak. Even if you appear to be der depperte by lacking words to describe or name some commonplace thing, you may discover the awe of its wonderfulness.
Make me a scientist of the commonplace
puzzling over the mystery of daily stuff,
wordlessly probing for the Great Mystery,
the Mother of wonders and the awesome.
