Being Interested
Current location:
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Reading:
Savage Beauty
by Nancy Milford
Listening:
Wet Leg
by Wet Leg
(if you have a moment, reply with your own 3-item status)
Being Interested
Almost always, people we find interesting come across that way because they're interested in other things and people.
Such interest often starts with a spark.
For most of my life, catching these flashes of potential was a luck-laden, periodic thing. Sometimes I'd be in the right state of mind to notice the firefly-flicker of interest, and sometimes it would bumble away, unobserved, unrecognized, un-chased.
I've gotten better at paying attention, though, and I now understand that for me at least, this spark feels like a little tugging in my brain: a mote of interest that has the potential to expand and consume the whole of my attention for a good, long while if I shift my focus toward it for even a moment.
Sometimes this speck of potential intrigue will emerge organically during a conversation or while reading a book.
A field of interest, a historical datapoint, a technique or capability or option will arise or be demonstrated or alluded to, and my mind will jolt to full alertness, sending Morse-like pulses through my nervous system, saying, in essence, "Whoa, okay, pay attention—this seems relevant and important."
The same sense of cognitive wakefulness regularly diverts me, momentarily, while doing research for a project, reading a book on some random topic, or taking a walk through my neighborhood.
At times these jolts will lead nowhere, or will take me only a short distance down some previously unknown (to me) path before I'm released from that attention reprioritization and allowed to return to whatever it is I was doing before I was diverted—I'll click a link, click another link, and do some reading, or I'll ask a handful of questions, expand my understanding of some job or culture or whatever else, and that will be that.
I'll have some new interesting bit of information in my mental library (which may prove useful later or remain just a nifty bit of trivia), but the journey ends there.
Sometimes, though, these side paths become so fundamental to my thinking and exploration that they're paved, signage is added, and they're ultimately incorporated into my main intellectual thoroughfare. The offshoot is woven into the primary design, and that design becomes richer as a consequence.
I enjoy this process so much that I've essentially built my life around being able to identify, develop, and pursue interests of various sorts.
My work is organized around this general jumble of concepts, my lifestyle is dappled with intentionally scattered opportunities to intersect with such sparks, and I try to make sure I have the necessary psychological bandwidth and practical time and energy to engage with anything that can catch and hold me for more than a few moments.
You can think of this process as triggering and maintaining curiosity, or you can think of it as cultivating passions; the concepts overlap no matter which labels we use.
These are interconnected ideas, all entangled with each other and all somewhat nebulous if we don't take the time to identify and organize them in a way that makes sense for how we personally encounter, experience, and enjoy them.
I truly enjoy conversing with (and exploring the work created by) folks who've figured out their own framework and rhythm for capturing sparks and kindling them into something that adds to their lives in some way, but my internal process for the same is also satisfying and rewarding, unto itself.
If you found some value in this essay, consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee :)
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Projects
Select, recent works from across my project portfolio.
Aspiring Generalist: Credentials
Brain Lenses: Gratitude
I Will Read To You: Euclid Alone Has Looked On Beauty Bare
Let’s Know Things: Sri Lanka
Curiosity Weekly / Daily: April 19 / April 18
One Sentence News: April 19 (podcast version)
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Interesting & Useful
Interactive Global Map of PM2.5 Concentrations By City
Explore air quality in your city and around the world.
How Old Are You Getting? Let Us Explain It Properly!
Do you think time is catching up with you? Do the years seem to be going ridiculously quickly now? There's a reason for it. You're getting old.
How Many Days Since a Record-High Temperature?
Counting the time elapsed since a U.S. city set a record-high temperature.
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Outro
I'm trying some cross-promos in a few of my newsletters as a means of expanding my reach without tipping into (what I consider to be) irksome marketing territory.
Part of why I decided to give this a go is that it allows me to promote publications I actually like and read and enjoy in a mutually beneficial fashion (I link to them, they link to me, and you possibly discover something new you'll enjoy), which makes it feel less salesy and more like a "recommendation I would make to friends" sort of thing.
That said, I like and personally use The Sample to find new newsletters I might want to subscribe to, and if you think you might benefit from the same, consider giving it a look.
I've been spending a lot of time exploring Milwaukee, of late (I started dating someone relatively recently, and that's provided plenty of incentive and opportunity to pop around and see more things hereabouts), but I'm keen to get back on the road and to do some more day-trips throughout the region in the coming weeks—so if you have any suggestions in that regard (for spots within a few hour's-drive of Milwaukee), please let me know :)
Also, if you have spare moment, send me a quick email and tell me something about yourself, what you're excited/worried/anticipatory about, or whatever else comes to mind.
I'd love to hear from you, and you can reach me by replying to this newsletter or by writing to colin@exilelifestyle.com.
You can also communicate via the usual methods: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or global happiness map.
If you’re finding some value in what I’m doing here, consider supporting my work: Become an Understandary member / Buy me a coffee