and a Sense of Wonder
Two experiences from the past year really struck me, and I’m grateful to have this transition to give me time to think about them. One was playing with my 5-year-old cousin in her parents’ backyard. She had a T-ball stand (just a hollow plastic tube) in her kiddie pool and was submerging it and then pulling it out. She was amazed that every time she lifted it out, all the water in it drained through one end! Then she could put it up to her eye and see through it!
I was stunned. I’ve always thought I’m good at appreciating little things, but this kid kicked my butt. It’s been a long time since observing gravity has filled me with a sense of wonder.
Room for improvement…
The second thing was discussing arguments for vegetarianism with two friends from college during a roadtrip (courtesy The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which I’m seriously considering reading now). This was the first time I’ve thought critically about a moral issue since I started my job (other than very specific health benefits questions). That also stunned me.
Now that I have a transition and a pause, I think I need to plan a way to continue some reflection and self-critique during my next period of career-submersion — the next one may be a lot longer than 18 months.