Sometimes we just get carried away with the Big Jar of Wannabe Analogies. And so it was this time: we were into it!

What do you think of when you think of kindergarten? What about the prospect of being a life-long kindergartner?

Join me and Lakshmi as we lean into what makes that mindset so rich and why returning to those roots is wise and wonderful.

Check out Lakshmi NoomaLooma: https://www.noomalooma.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Zig Zag Heart by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Philosopher Lani Watson’s new book Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers invites us to wrestle with unaskable and unanswerable questions to understand the real power of our questioning practices.

Lani Watson: https://www.philosophyofquestions.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; The Basket by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

O'Nell Agossa has a personal pact: curiosity is who he is.

His first book is part memoir, part allegorical road trip buddy story, a thoughtful, slightly trippy, poignant tale of self-discovery.

Curiosity I: Let Curiosity Guide You is a novel about research and theory -- but mostly it's a conversation about how curiosity shows up in work and life between O’Nell's protagonist and a shape-shifting, golden-eyed cat named “Curiosity”.

O'Nell Agossa: https://medium.com/@o.agossa/about

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Discovery Harbor” by Cloud Harbor and “Skyway” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

How does curiosity inform architecture? How do architects' designs elicit curiosity? And what stories do they leave behind for the future to unpack? Toronto-based architect Alexander Josephson sees curiosity at the center of anything done well.

Alexander Josephson is founder of Toronto-based architecture firm Partisans: https://partisans.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “We Build with Rubber Bands” by Lemuel, via Blue Dot Sessions.

In her book I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood and Magic, Jen Dary chronicles her experience with a brain tumor. It's a story of wonder, unknowing, uncertainty, belief -- and curiosity.

Jen Dary: https://www.jendarywriter.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “The Big Ten” by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Larry Robertson makes the case: we aren’t just a “questioning species”, questions are the source of our flourishing. When we learn to use them well, we all benefit.

Larry Robertson: https://lrspeaks.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Great Great Lengths” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Happy Semiquincentennial! Washington DC-based social sculptor, speaker, and writer Philippa Pham Hughes and I luxuriate in curiosity, this crazy big milestone, and letting ourselves dream about the next 250 years.

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Cradle Rocks” by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.

I know I'm relaxed when I'm barefoot in the grass. Something about the smell. The slightly damp, uneven texture under my feet. The associated breeze and bird song. It pulls me fully into the moment, settles me. So I'm putting my toes in the proverbial grass this month. Here are some great re-airs to enjoy!

Featuring: Monica Quesada Cordero, Matthias Gruber, Laura Zigman Shawkat Toorawa

Theme music by Sean Balick. Lull by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Shaka Mitchell says, “I have seen firsthand how sharing a song can shortcut barriers and spark curiosity about perspectives vastly different from our own…At a time when we can use all the connective tissue we’ve got, why not turn to something as fundamental as music to build our curiosity muscle?

Come Together Music Project: https://www.cometogethermusic.org

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning On The Lights by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.