Something really cool is happening in my life. Curiosity is on the rise. I am so much less self- conscious than I have ever been in my 50 plus years and it feels like my eyes and mind are really wide open. I am finished with concerning myself with how I feel and what I think at any given moment and am paying much closer attention to the world. Lately I feel like the world is a brighter, more exciting place. The fear and anxiety that so surrounded me is gone and I realize that the worst thing that can happen is that I will die, or someone I love or care for will die. But, that is already true! I will die. People do die. The worst thing that can happen is that I won’t choose to live. Death is a given. Life is only dynamic if you are willing to make it so.

A friend I know seems to be looking at an upcoming transition as his end. That is his choice. He is making a choice to stand and look at the change from the same perspective he has been viewing it for what seems to be a very long time. He seems to really like the life he has at the moment but he has fears for the future. How does one take the steps to see from another perspective? Curiosity? What can this man do to see other potential views? He needs curiosity. He has written this story in his mind, and while I do not profess to know many of the details, I believe there is much in himself that he is denying. He may not like the material he has to work with, a fixed income, a narrowing of social opportunities, hell, I really don’t know what else, but he has his mind and his humor. He has time in front of him that he can fill with whatever ambition he chooses. That is a pretty big and daunting thing for someone who likes the status quo maybe, but I wonder if there is a way he could choose just one new thing to work toward.

I was a teacher for many years, whether full time or subbing, and I’ve always enjoyed watching children. I like to think about how they fill their time. I like to think about how they see interesting things in the mundane. They are curious. That is what propels them forward. The other day I saw a four year old enter the library with his mother. The mother was very focused on getting to the story time – on time – but there was a gold plate in the middle of the floor that caught the child’s eye. It was an outlet of some sort but it called to him. He went out of his way to stop and stand squarely in the middle of it and look at it with curiosity. He even jumped up and down on it once or twice to the great annoyance of his focused mother. “What are you doing?” She insisted when she realized he was no longer beside her. “I had to see if it bounced.” He responded matter-of-factly as he was pushed forward.

“Duh!!!!” I thought to myself. A gold plate in the middle of a carpeted floor is worth investigating to a four year old. Why the hell can’t a 65 year old find his gold plate to jump up and down on? Curiosity and perspective.