Reconnection and Curiosity

This has been an incredibly complicated 18 months. As things start to open up, how will you reconnect? Last week I was delighted to see people’s smiles at an outdoor cafe. I felt giddy! We all smiled, said hello, and were happy to see each other. And, I’m talking about random people, not friends. That got me curious about how I reset and reconnect. Be prepared for lots of questions!

Connection and Curiosity

• How do you connect?
• What gets in the way of you connecting?
• How can you be curious?
• What helps you set the stage to be curious with other people and within yourself?

Here are some of my answers to help jumpstart thinking about your own life.

How do you connect?

I connect by talking with people. I much prefer a conversation to a text or an email, although those work and are better than nothing. This past year I have missed those conversations and meetings. Since Aliveness is my primary Life Energy, there is nothing surprising about that.

I talked with a friend after a long while and thought our conversation would be catching up chit-chat. Nope, it turned into a deep exploration about some work we might do together. It happened after a random comment that led to our synapses firing about the many ways our work fits together. It was magical. I had forgotten how much my own creativity is born out of collaboration with other people. I thrive from interaction.

What gets in the way of you connecting?

My own judgments get in the way of my connections. They might be judgments about myself or the other person. I forget to be curious when I’m being judgmental.

One way for me to be more curious is to observe myself when I’m hopping right in to a judgment. “Oops, there I go again, judging.” The key is to say it more as an observation than as a judgment.

How can you be more curious?

I think curiosity is developed by practicing being curious. That may sound circular, but it seems that it’s like a muscle. I’m building my curiosity muscle. The first question to ask yourself is this – do I want to deepen my curiosity about myself and others? If you say you want to be curious, but really don’t then it’s nothing more than a big, old “should.” We know that never works.

What helps you set the stage to be more curious?

As I was selecting the photo to go with this post I realized that the smell of sage has always gotten me connected to my inner self. I first experienced that smell in Colorado. I love crushing sage leaves between my fingers and inhaling deeply. Today I lit a bundle of sage before I began writing. It connected me to the joy and inner connection I felt in those first fields of Colorado sage.

What things could you set up to be more curious with your own inner space? I like to drink a mocha when I’m writing in the morning. It has become a ritual and I enjoy that combination – feeding my inner joy with coffee and chocolate, while also tapping into my creativity. You will find what works for you. It might be gardening or maybe running or maybe reading a book that stimulates you to think.

So, what will you do to reset and reconnect with people, with your work, with your self? What connections bring you joy? Do more of those.