Connecting With Curiosity

I'll be honest; it hasn't felt all that sweet or homey lately,

during the mess of the remodel. But today,

the new doormat our front door says it all.

I'm super excited because we're making great progress

putting all of things that make our ordinary house

  an extraordinary home back where they belong.

The dust seems to have dissipated, our new normal is

sinking in, and we're ready for some visitors in our

Empty Nest Bed and Breakfast.

During the big purge, I found a lot of treasures, 

one of which is my dad's high school graduation picture.

Dad tells me that in his yearbook, the inscription next to this photo read: 

He'd stop St. Peter's roll call to ask a question.

Don't you love that? Clearly he was curious and inquisitive.

And maybe even a little annoying or unruly.

Whatever the case, it has me thinking about curiosity.

Our son Jacob used to ask so many questions that his Band Director

 jokingly limited him to three questions per class period.

My Dad is definitely the kind of person who's quick

to ask a question or spark conversation.

His favorite might very well be these three words:

Tell Me More.

It's a powerful phrase that invites people into a conversation, a dialogue, a reflection. And it's a great connector to know that he's listening because he wants to learn more, about you, about your life, about your thoughts and about your feelings. 

I found myself using this and these other conversation inquiries 

to help me connect to and normalize their issues: 

I'm wondering if ... ?

I'm curious to know if ... ? 

Could you help me understand ... ?

Which brings me to the book I'm reading now,

on Appreciative Inquiry (AI).

I wonder if my Dad was on to something, because strong conversations 

seem to be all about asking the right questions.

In fact, according to David L. Cooperrider Ph.D.,

We live in worlds our conversations create.

Might it follow then, that we live where our inquiries take us? 

I'm only 1/3 of the way through and

getting more curious with every section.

Looking for some fun connecting questions?

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