Amusement parks are meant to be, well, amusing. However, not everyone likes the rides, the games, or the general atmosphere. Do you?
Share why if you wish.
Month: September 2024
What Lesson Have You Had To Learn Again And Again?
Sometimes it takes repeated exposure to a life lesson to learn it. Is there a lesson you need to learn again and again?
There are some experiences that are so powerful, a single one is enough to internalize the lesson. The classic example is that once you burn yourself on a hot stove, you won’t do it a second time. The pain is enough to fix the memory in your mind.
However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, you need to learn the lesson over and over again.
One reason this might be true is changing circumstances. If you learned something early, for instance, it might then take you multiple exposures to relearn the lesson if things change.
For example, let’s say you decide as a child that you don’t like bananas. As an adult, however, you happen to try a banana, and, if your taste buds have changed, you might like it. But you might not immediately start eating bananas regularly, as you still think of yourself as someone who doesn’t like bananas.
There may also be things about yourself that you just don’t want to face. If some experience shines a light on an aspect of your personality that you are ashamed of, you may not absorb it right away.
Or there are just things that one, two, or even three exposures is not enough to set in your memory. While some data or trains of thought that are very natural, there could also be some that don’t match the way you think.
For whatever reason, some lessons are harder to learn than others. Is there something that you had to learn — perhaps the hard way — over and over?
Related questions: What basic skill have you never learned? What do you wish you had learned as a child? How do you learn?
Laugh Or Cry?
When you are faced with challenges, obstacles, or setbacks, which are you more likely to do: laugh or cry?
Share why if you wish.
How Does The Change Of Season Impact You?
As we transition from summer to autumn (at least in the northern hemisphere), how does the change of season impact you? What are some of the difference you notice, and have the most impact?
Share why if you wish.
Who Are You?
When a family member, friend, or colleague introduces me to someone, I often ask the person what many think is an awkward conversation starter. I ask, “Who are you?” I usually put an inflection on the word “are,” which apparently makes things even more strange. If it’s at a social gathering and they’ve come with their spouse, they may answer, “I am so-and-so’s partner.” Others assume I am asking about what they do for a living: “Oh, I’m so-and-so, and I work at such-and-such a place.”
Because they thought the question was odd, they usually ask, “Is that what you mean?” I reply that I had no preset notion about the appropriate answer. I just wanted to know how they identify themselves and what that means about their life.
I usually continue, “It could be, as you shared, how you are connected to the people here today. It could be about your job. It could be that you are a parent. Heck, it could be a unique hobby that you have. The person I am now with may perceive the question as really practical or, perhaps, existential. It could serve as, ‘What makes you tick?'”
Sometimes, their eyes light up with this clarification. One person recently told me, “As a hobby, I’m a woodworker. Mainly, I make cabinets.” This answer began a conversation I had never thought I’d be having. I know nothing about cabinet-making, so I had tons of questions.
So, now it’s your turn. Does your occupation mainly define your identity? Does family (including pets) come first? Do you aspire to be something you’re just now practicing–like, “I’m training for a marathon?” Do you have a proper work-life balance, so any take on the question is fair game? Or will the conversation become a chat about how you’re trying to work fewer hours so you can do something else that you feel needs your attention?
So, dear reader, who are you?
Related questions: What makes you you? What do you believe? How are you special? What makes a person interesting?