Zach was anxious. It was his turn to present in the What Matters series at his senior center. Every resident was asked to do a presentation of what matters in their life to their friends at the center. Zach had chosen curiosity.
After introducing his topic, Zach began: “Let me start with a myth. Curiosity isn’t just something for young children. All of us should remain curious throughout our lives. I want to share with you my curiosity practices, hoping they may give you ideas for developing your own practice.”
“For me, curiosity begins with alone time. That’s when I spend time reading. To me words on a page are triggers for my curiosity. As I read, I keep a curiosity notebook where I jot down questions of things I want to know more about. I read a variety of books to widen my thinking. Some are non-fiction while others are fiction. As I read, I take notes by hand. To me that’s key. I marvel at how fast young people use a keyboard. But when I take notes, I’m restating what I just read. Taking notes that way helps me reflect on what I just read. My restatement is in effect a reflection of how the words I just read make me curious.”
“After my quiet time, I enjoy learning new things. I’m really fascinated by learning about how things are made. I’m a big fan of YouTube where I can watch a video of something like how toothpicks are made. When I watch a video, I again capture curiosity questions in my notebook. These are things the video never discussed. Now with the advent of artificial intelligence, I can often get answers to my questions.”
“I also enjoy getting to know people. As many of you know, I still enjoy interacting with young people. Often, they will come to me with a problem to resolve. Again, I use curiosity questions to help them arrive at their own solution to their own problem. I call this discovery learning. When you discover your own answers, you are developing the neuroplasticity in your brain to become self-aware. That’s being curious about yourself.”
“I’ve become very comfortable with my vulnerability about what I don’t know. Curiosity begins when you embrace uncertainty and it helps you appreciate your faith in yourself. God gave us brains. And curiosity is there for us to use as a tool for living a full life. Thank you for listening to my story.”
Zach’s senior citizen friends were amazed. He had given them insight on living they wish they would have had as they were moving into adulthood. Zach’s message needed a much wider audience.