Passion: Curiosity

I have no special talents – I am only passionately curious! – Albert Einstein

Asking questions… Searching for the answers, or waiting for the response… Truly listening, and genuinely soaking in the answer…

I admit I tend to be more of a thinker than a verbalizer, kind of surprise with all the words I type, but these words are my thoughts, most of the time, fresh and new to even me as I type them! My conversation style tends to be more in the form of questions than statements (unless I’m in a quick-witted mood- and even then I tend to ask sarcastic questions 😏).

I am reading a book about some division that is going on in our country right now, and the other night this one section just hit me because it was something that I just wrote about: ask the questions and know the facts, with a big emphasis on simply start asking the questions. Who, What, Why, Where, When, How. Whether it be a new acquaintance, co-worker, someone running in the election, or a subject that you want to know more about, just begin asking and the rest will follow.

The author was exposing the lack of critical questions being asked. When did we become so fearful of questions? Why is this not a core skill that we no longer see as crucial to teach and model for younger generations? Where did the idea of “safe” and “unsafe” places to ask questions come from and why?

Of course this got the wheels spinning in my head. I went to Google and searched, “top trending searched questions in 2024,” here is a sample of some of the top 50:

• How many ounces are in a cup?
• How to tie a tie?
• Why is the sky blue?
• How to get pregnant?
• What to watch?
• Why should I hire you?
• What is my IP address?
• What time is it?
• How to take a screenshot?
• How to kiss?
• When is the Super Bowl?
• How many days until Christmas?
• How to take a screenshot on Mac?
• How many ounces are in a gallon?
• How many ounces are in a pound?
• How to lose weight?
• Where’s my refund?
• How to make money?
• Where do babies come from?
• Who called me from this phone number?
• How to write a check?

I contributed to the ounces, possibly the screenshots, days until Christmas, and phone number questions, I will admit to this! I find it a bit weird that how to get pregnant, how to kiss, and where do babies come from are all in the top 50 questions- may be a warning sign of how information is getting out to those who need it?!? Proactive or reactive? Maybe this is for another day. The most intriguing thing I found in the list of top 50 google questions, there was not one question about current events, news, policies, voting, election, etc. Now I’m not going to go political because I have no interest in doing so. However, I was expecting at least one question about some kind of law or current events that is affecting the outcome of our elections coming in November.

In a bit of a shock, I began to search “critical thinking,” conversation questions, because we can all start somewhere. I’ll even answer a few myself along the way 😊

• What is something you love learning about?
  • People! Young, old, in between. Past. Present.
• What are you most afraid of?
  • Either I or one of my family members being hospitalized during a time of “no visitors.” (this has been something I have feared way before COVID! The possibility of someone being alone in a hospital with no one there to document and/or be a second pair of ears- frightens me.) Another fear that has always been around, emergency lockdown or evacuation at the hospital. (was there in a clinic on 9/11, so had a glimpse of lockdown, never want to be an admitted patient on lockdown. everything starts closing in!) Obviously, these are things I surrender daily and very often. They are extremely real and unfortunately becoming more and more of a possible reality.
• What does success mean to you?
• What childhood memory makes you smile?
• What are you reading?
• What laws or social rules completely baffle you?
• Are you a starter or a finisher?
  • I am a magnificent starter 😂
• Are you a crisis manager or crumble in a crisis?
  • I have been told I am a manager. I would agree, I tend to find myself in advocate mode.
• Are you able to discern truth from a lie?
  • Many children haven’t figured out how Miss Anna knows when they are telling the truth and when they are not, but it’s all GOD! As my mom has always prayed, “let them be caught and held accountable.” No matter what age they are!
• Do you hunt for answers or wait for them to come to you?
  • I think this one is obvious 😂
• Do you yearn for life before social media?
  • I yearn for the days when you had to approve every person that was allowed to view your profile/pictures/etc. And most of all, I wish it was not accessible on our phones!
• Do you have any irrational fears?
• Do you secretly miss polaroid cameras?
• Do you believe everyone has the capacity to be a leader?
  • ABSOLUTELY! We just need to be equipped with the tools!
• Do you think we should live like we are dying?
  • Live like we are living- every moment, every hour is a gift. You won’t find a bucket list in any of my journals. I take the moment for what is and then take the next step, life has given me this perspective and I am down right grateful it isn’t any other way!
• Has a teacher changed your life? How so?
• Do you have New Years resolutions?
  • Nope. Not my thing.
• How long can you go without checking texts and/or emails?
  • As long as I know where my parents are, my brother and his family are and they are not going to need me at any point, I can go hours!
• Have you ever screamed at someone? Why?
  • Yep. Screaming and Yelling were not allowed in our home growing up, so it is not at all natural to me. However, when a child’s life is in danger I scream like there is no tomorrow! Running away from me and out into a parking lot grants me permission to scream and pull all kinds of muscles to save your life! Otherwise I am the one who will be educating children on what screaming and yelling for no reason will eventually do- cry wolf one too many times…
• How do you reign in self-critical voices?
  • God’s Promises. Listing ways he has been faithful.
• What was your very first job?
• If you could master any instrument in the world, what would it be? Why?
• What are you starving for?
• What’s on your fridge, right at this moment?
  • Lots of pictures. Dwell Differently September Scripture Memory Verse.
• What is in your purse/pocket right now?
• What is the best compliment you have ever received?
• What is the best birthday cake you have ever had?
• What is the hardest thing you’ve had to write? Why?
  • My counselor asked me to write out my recollection of the hotel arson fire I survived. I definitely pushed back and did not want to do it, thinking it would be to much to “relive,” but it became a milestone in my mental health and started my path to acknowledging the real things that came as a result of this experience.
• What is the last book you couldn’t put down?
• What is your personal anthem or theme song?
• Where and when do you get your best ideas?
  • When I don’t have a pen and paper!
• Are you an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert?
• Would you like to write a book?
• Would you rather have a live-in massage therapist or a live-in chef?
  • Massage Therapist please!
• What are you most grateful for, in this moment?
  • At this very moment, the two air vents that were added to my room yesterday! I am not kidding!!!! For some silly reason when they built our house they only put one air vent in my room and it is directly over my window- I could never feel any air coming out of it when it was sweltering outside! I am already hot all the time. My room was getting to be almost 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. My dad was freezing, wearing flannel pjs and sweatshirts when its over 100 outside. We tried everything! And then about a month ago I began not being able to get a consistent night of sleep for multiple nights in a row, which led to some bad migraines. So when the A/C company came yesterday they were set on one vent, and my dad says, “oh no, we are doing two vents.” 😂 I actually got to sleep under a blanket last night!!!! Thank you JESUS!

The questions are sometimes more important than the answers. And sometimes somebody may just be waiting for someone to care enough to ask a question. In a world where there are a bunch of questions being asked that only have yes or no answers, don’t settle, ask the questions that dig deeper. Don’t settle for good or fine, go for questions that encourage heart exploration! In a world that is focused on performance and appearance and frantically running from place to place and addicted to the chaos, I challenge you to slow down, ask at least one heart question and wait and truly listen.

It is a choice! We either open the door or leave it shut. Reach out and learn or wait for it to come to us. Which will it be?

Life book of the Week: What do you do, dear?, by Sesyle Joslin and What do you say, dear?, by Sesyle Joslin. I love these two books, not really for the manners, but for the way the questions provoke the child to think, what do I do? what do I say? I remember when my niece and nephew were little we would ask them, “what do we do in a restaurant/store/etc?” and when they were really little we would go through each thing- our hands, feet, bottoms, voices. As they got older they would just start saying all the things that were expected of them as we pulled into a parking lot. 😊 Now, try to tell me questions don’t inspire some critical thinking. 😉