365 Days of Curiosity

What does a year of learning look like?

I am celebrating my three year wedding  anniversary with my husband, Joshua, at Starbucks in Huntington, West Virginia. Not the most romantic destination for celebrating our life together, but for us, this place is brimming with nostalgia. I began dating Joshua after a summer in DC, where my Capitol Hill internship had turned my previously pious appetite onto coffee out of sheer necessity. It was under his wing that I acquired a taste for black coffee and strong espresso, quickly transitioning away from mochas and vanilla cappuccinos. 

Many of our dates revolved around getting coffee and we began to become regulars. We had a "usual." We even befriended a barista that is still our friend four years later, despite the fact that we both have since moved away from Huntington. It was during a conversation with him that I realized that I was experiencing what I always thought college would be like, but hadn't yet seen. I had always pictured college as staying up late talking about art, culture, or politics in challenging and enlightening ways, being surrounded by people who have so much to teach you. 

I love the smell of this place, which despite smelling exactly like every other Starbucks, brings back memories of great conversations, exam cramming, and most importantly, learning. I learned so much at these tables. At the large, square table in the middle of the store (the one you always feel guilty about taking if you are alone, even if there are no other free tables), I spent hours learning about the stock market and perfecting a fantasy stock portfolio. I studied for my first graduate-level exam in the far-right corner. I wrote parts of my undergraduate thesis right next to the bar. I learned what a French Press was at the counter (and am still flattered when they hand me the timer and let me press after four minutes). 

I love learning. I have dedicated my life to it, only sometimes purposefully. I work at a place dedicated to ideas, and the people who are in charge of them. My career revolves around educating and empowering young people to question everything, to be curious. When my husband describes my varied interests, he references a blog idea I never followed through with- tinker, tailor, gardener, chef. I blame it on being a Gemini, but I bounce from interest to interest like a pin ball. 

When I was younger, I tried to ask myself every night before bed if I had learned something new that day. On the days I answered yes, I felt like I was growing and evolving, like my life was on track. On days I answered no, I would spin into mini existential crises. So, it is in this place of learning, so close to the beginning of 2015, that I set my New Years resolution- to learn something new every day, and to share it with the world. My husband is also on board, and he will be sharing his daily wisdom as well.

I am marking each day of my calendar with small topics to Google. Each day, I will post a short piece in what I learned. Sometimes, if I am inspired, I may go deeper. Introducing The Daily Gist!