Day 370

Curiosity never did a cat any good, but my dogs certainly are FULL of that commodity! Today, I was putting some things away in the shed and, suddenly, my two youngest were right in there with me! Sniffing everything in sight, Gus and Sam enjoyed their venture into a forbidden area!

When surrounded by a multitude of second graders, my career was certainly full of the curious! Now, with Sweet Asher by my side, the questions are never ending! Just today...

"Hey Nanny! What kind of weed is that in the water? Can we get it out and examine it?"

"Nanny! Why would you swat at a mosquito? They have feelings too!"

"Hey Nanny! Why are there so many numbers everywhere?"

Non-stop, I tell you!

I am certain that I was a curious child, living in a curious neighborhood of children with creative minds. My teen years and young adulthood were probably full of questions as well. However, when I entered the doctoral program at the U of M, my mind shifted and I questioned everything! Heavily based in research, my classes were full of edicts to Question, Question, Question! Once that part of my brain fired up, I couldn't stop it! Even cereal boxes became things to question and examine!

In one statistics course, our professor would hand out studies and we students would pick the research apart, looking for discrepancies or false claims. Starting out slowly, our group eventually became like piranhas in our search for falsehoods. We questioned every detail!

One class found us playing the part of vultures while tearing apart the latest research study. After presenting the carnage, our professor calmly told us that he was the author of that study! You could have heard a pin drop in that classroom! Suddenly, he smiled, congratulated us on our evaluation and invited us to dinner at his home! That could have gone poorly, but he was gracious and kind!

Now, in my "ARP Years", I tend to question on a much different level. There is not as much "fact checking", but more questioning of things pertaining to the heart. I tend to check for kindness, honesty and empathy in the people around me, political shenanigans and other "life items" that I can learn from and embrace.

It is my hope that my professor would smile and tell me "Those are more important questions than whether a study has tainted research and conclusions." Being my senior, I predict he in now asking some of those same human questions and probably arriving at more in-depth answers than I.

So, I will continue on my quest for knowledge, mostly focused on the human condition and heart. My pups, on the other paw, will continue to sniff EVERYTHING close to their noses. They might just have the right answers to all of these questions:

If it smells good, eat it!

If it looks different, approach with trepidation.

If the collar is too restrictive, when on the hunt for answers, let someone know who can loosen it.

If the bed looks soft, jump on up and find out.

If the person looks like they need love, give it freely!

My advice...embrace curiosity as it pertains to the human spirit. The knowledge will be worth the research!