My husband recently challenged me to answer the question, “what is the secret to being productive?” This meme was started by Ben Yoskovitz. Jason shared his childlike secrets to productivity. My answer: discipline (aka being mean). Do I have Adultitis? You be the judge. When I taught Kindergarten I had to be mean sometimes. I'm sure parents can relate. It was hard at first, but then I just got used to it. ;) …
General
What if…?
I've spent a lot of time recently talking about curiosity and asking questions. A lot of my focus has centered around every three-year-old's favorite three-letter-word: why? Stepping way from the whirlwind of whys for a moment, I'd like to shine the spotlight on another question that is just as important: what if? "What if" is cool because it not only signals an active curiosity (there's nothing worse than couch potato curiosity), it also encourages the practice of dreaming big. Just think: two little words team up to cover two of the eight secrets from childhood. Amazing! …
Adultitis on the Subway
This video, which I found over at Bernie DeKoven's blog, is a fascinating look at the different stages of Adultitis. Subways are typically filled with lots of Adultitis-afflicted people (especially on Monday mornings). At the start of this video, most of the people are demonstrating some level of the disease. As the music continues, those who are in the early stages of Adultitis loosen up a bit -- some even a lot. But there's one guy who must have a full-blown case. He seems genuinely perturbed and paranoid at first, and then kinds of warms up to a low level of curiosity. But he keeps his back …
Be Fully Alive
"The glory of God is man fully alive." --Saint Ireneaus I was reminded of that quote the other day, and remembered how much I liked it. After a little reflection, I realized that the reason it resonates so deeply within me is because it completely underscores what Kim & Jason is really all about. As I travel the country speaking to various organizations, I see it in the faces of the people. It is a lost look, a dull, overwhelmed, and resigned look. It's peppered with a twinge of cynicism, and laced with traces of melancholy. A somehow loud but easily unnoticeable sadness lies behind …
Don’t Walk Around the Puddles
If you have one of those anti-bacterial hand gels in your possession, think again. Jason and I have been out and about enjoying spring. The grass is quite green in Madison, which tells you it's been raining a fair share. Spring brings puddles. Puddles bring fun. And wet shoes and socks, which is why at some point in our lives we start walking around them instead of jumping directly into them. What if I told you that getting messy and dirty is actually good for your mental and physical health? …
Simply Amazing
I tried to avoid using such a cheesy title for this post, but gosh darnit, that's the only way I can describe the work of Jeffrey David Montanye. He has combined his photography experience and love for mazes to create intriguing puzzles from photographs. I'm not sure if the guy is a big kid, a veritable genius, or a dude with some serious OCD issues (maybe a little of column A, B, and C). Every maze is made up of hundreds or even thousands of a certain item. Here's the crazy part: the mazes are taken apart immediately after they are built and photographed. You just have to see them for …
Everybody Get in Line
Perhaps some people raised their eyebrows when I suggested in my last post that our American educational system considers curiosity a disease. Well it sure seems like it to me, what with the OVER reliance on standardized tests and the OVER emphasis on fitting everyone into a standardized box. Just the other day I was at a wedding, talking to an old friend who was a relatively new mother. Her daughter is a bit over a year old. I asked my friend what was her favorite part about being a mom. She didn't hesitate with her answer. …
100 Ways to Get Curious
Curiosity is one of the Eight Secrets. For a multitude of reasons, adults have a hard time being curious. For one, with a few exceptions, the educational system in this country seems to consider curiosity a disease, and they have a twelve-year treatment plan to remedy the situation (with four to six more available if you're having trouble kicking the habit). Meanwhile, most adults are afraid to ask questions because they're too worried about what other people think of them. "They'll all think I'm stupid," goes the thought process. "Everyone else seems to know the answer; I'll just pretend …
Trading the Cracker Jack Prizes for the Peanuts
What good is life if you can't slow down long enough to enjoy it once in a while? Kim and I had a fortunate opportunity come our way last Friday night. We spent the bulk of the day downtown at a café called Cosi, laptops open, writing, thinking, and dreaming. As we packed up to go home, a young woman (and fellow Mac user) sitting nearby offered us two free tickets to the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Face value was over sixty bucks each. She told us she wasn't able to use them and was hoping to find someone who could. What the heck, we thought. …
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Kiddie Cocktails Are Like, So Lame
My dad faxed me an article from the local paper. Here's an excerpt: I believe the kids in our generation are growing up too fast and not enjoying what they have left of their carefree fun times. I know there's the spirit of a 7-year-old in all of us, it's just the question of when to put that spirit away, if there really is a right or wrong time to do it. Obviously, this opening caught my eye. YES! There is a 7-year-old in all of as! YES! Kids DO grow up too fast! What high-ranking Adultitis-stricken grown-up has finally "matured" enough to see the value of embracing a childlike spirit and …