However, I can always count on MISC and Cake & Whiskey to surprise me... they really give me the "oh my" thought and send my brain hurtling to another night of thoughtful sleeplessness that positively impacts me as a human, woman, and career person! In Cake & Whiskey's most recent issue (No 6), the Curious Creatures article nailed me. The context is that curiosity is essential, as it "plugs you into the awe of everyday life". This is a bit annoying to a person who has about zero curiosity in other people unless it suits her. The article even had the gall to quote a scholarly study from 2002 where the University of Buffalo found "the degree to which people are curious actively influences their personal growth opportunities and the level of intimacy that develops when they meet someone new."
Whatever. Obviously I'm the exception.
Moving quickly through this annoying article so that I can get to the funding resources article for women entrepreneurs, which suddenly seemed very interesting.
Oh, wait. Another killer statement.
..."When curiosity is a guiding force in your life, amazing things happen. New friends, novel opportunities, big ideas. Be patient and persistent. The person sitting next to you on the plan might be the catalyst for your next big career move, but you'll never know unless you start asking."
Of COURSE I just had to be sitting on a stupid plane.
Did I mention my lack of curiosity? An older lady, probably a bit boring, doesn't have a clue about what I did if she asked (nobody seems understand my job anyway), off to see her cute little grandkids in some god forsaken part of Montana.
Right?
I don't know if I was more bothered that 1) I was getting curious, or 2) it was bothering me that I was realising how nervous I was about broaching any conversation with a pure stranger on an airplane. After all, the millisecond anybody nods towards me, the ear plugs are activated.
Finally, after several minutes of struggling, I decided that the best option would be to simply not shut her down if she wanted to talk. Honestly, I have no memory of starting the conversation, but I would like to state for the record that I could not have been more pathetically wrong with my stereotype.
It emerged that a woman who looked to be in her lower 60s (was 73) was "popping off" to Paris to hang out with her girlfriend in their annual adventure. Wow. Did my grandkid visit concept ever get killed. Paris? Really? "Do you go often?" The response was "oh yes, for the last 50 years every year since we graduated college!" Following was a short explanation that life is meant to live, not just fritter away stressed out over details that won't matter anyway. I would like to add that I've never met a 73 year old individual who was so absolutely with it on modern times, offering real insights and perspective to my own future.
Thank you Cake & Whiskey. While I don't see myself plunging into discussions with strangers very often, I certainly won't resent the opportunities.
