Curiosity

As a kid, I was endlessly curious. I guess when you’re a kid that’s kind of your job.

Exploring through our curiosity is how we learn about the world around us.

Throughout my life, I’ve loved knowing things. Not just to know them–like trivia–but to understand them.

That’s one of the reasons I love to read memoirs as opposed to biographies. Biographies are more about the facts of someone’s life. The meat of the story to me, however, is in the meaning that person finds in those facts.

I’m immensely intrigued by how similar events, or sometimes the same exact event, can be experienced by different people in so many different ways.

Even better, I love to hear people’s stories in person. I love a good, honest, heartfelt conversation where I learn something about somebody or I can expand my point of view.

There is so much out in the world to be curious about.

And just when you think you have it all figured out, something comes along that makes you rethink it.

Nature brings out my curiosity and inspires me every day.

I’ll never get tired of experiencing a sunset, the sound of cicadas, the scent of lilacs, the taste of fresh peaches, or the feel of a summer rain.

I’ll always hold tight to my memories of climbing trees when I was young, being surrounded by its branches, wondering what I might see from my new vantage point.

In my adulthood, I continue to be curious.

I love to learn new things.

I love to read, mostly non-fiction because I prefer to learn something new over just being entertained. (no judgement here-strictly my preference)

I’m still fascinated by nature (as you can see from the opening picture) and love being surrounded by natural things–stones and pine cones, sea shells and tortoise shells, seed pods and bird nests.

This is the nest of a mourning dove. When my son found it in the branches of a cedar tree, it was abandoned but still had one egg in it.

Of course I had to save it and find out what kind of bird made it. It didn’t take long to come up with an answer (thanks google!)

I found it quite interesting that mourning doves just throw a bunch of sticks and debris into a pile more like a platform than a nest while hummingbirds will grab bits of spider webs to “glue” their nests together.

The best discovery though, is how much fun it is to share and enjoy a child’s curiosity with them.

When my grandkids pose a question–like how many teeth does a person get, how many different kinds of sharks are there, how do spiders make webs, or the ever popular why is the sky blue–if I don’t know or don’t remember, I often hear myself saying that we’ll google it when we get home.

And we usually do.

Curiosity, to me, is essential to life, to enjoying life. To not just see, but to understand, the world around us; the people we share our lives and the planet with.

Stay curious my friends: ask questions, try on a new skill, enjoy a new hobby, read a good book.

Live a life of learning.

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