PEBBLE
We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers.
~Carl Sagan, shared by Sara in Madison, WI
BOULDER
In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.
~Fred Rogers, shared by Mary in Tigerton, WI
PONDER
I know, I know….I’ve prattled on about my love of questions quite a few times over the years. If you doubt me, see Ripples #1356, #1319: or, #926 Oh, and just a few weeks ago I mentioned my new obsession with the question, “What is This?”
I can’t help it…I love questions!
I recently recorded fun conversations I had with my friends Sherry Belul and Colene Elridge for The Ripples Pondcast. Questions played a central role in both conversations, and Colene and I took it to the next level by using question cards. We picked up the idea from Rachel Martin’s exquisite and inquisitive NPR podcast Wild Card where much of the conversation is driven around the questions her guests randomly draw from a curated deck of cards.
If you’re hitting the road for a summer roadtrip, or just want to sprinkle some curiosity into your conversations with family, friends, classmates, or colleagues, you’re welcome to use these compilations I’ve curated over the past few years:
Collection of Beautiful Questions
Compendium of Questions
Sea of Inquiry
If you’re feeling extra courageous, I invite you to step up your game! Identify someone you’ve avoided building a connection with and invite them to a “coffee and questions” or a “walk and talk.” You might be pleasantly surprised by what opens up when you recognize their humanity and find a bit of common ground.
Peace,
Paul
P.S. If you’re curious about the question decks Jamie and I use, here’s a few of our favorites:
Holstee’s Reflection Cards, BoredWalk’s Delve Deck, and BestSelf Conversation Decks. We also loved Basecamp Cards but they are apparently no longer available.