Introducing The Wandering Wonderer
Hello all!
Early last summer I had the opportunity to speak on the phone with Sonia Hunt, an inspiring woman who, in the bio of her blog, refers to herself as an "entrepreneur, a world traveler, a seasoned digital media technologist, an athlete, a musician, a gadget geek, an adventurer, an engineer, mama to my doggie, a humanitarian, an innovator, an enthusiast of all things spicy and most importantly…out to drive change." This conversation was a result of a video I submitted to Mitch Matthew's Big Dream Boost scholarship back in May- I didn't win, but I was put in contact with Sonia as a mentor and a resource for pushing my dream forward. At the time, I wanted to open a Zero Waste store in the Greater Chicago Area. Being a successful entrepreneur who started her own company, Sonia was very helpful in giving me some perspective on what it takes to start a business and the mindset you need to have to be successful. However, one of the most important pieces of advice she gave me was to use my time abroad to do some soul searching. She told me to write down all my thoughts, jot down all my ideas, and notice if I find a pattern, see what I am passionate about, and figure out how this passion will play into my dreams and goals moving forward. Thank you for that advice Sonia, because that is exactly what I have been doing, and helped me decide to start this blog!
Over the past few months studying abroad at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, I have learned a lot about myself- what I value, what I crave, who and what I love, why I do what I do, what my personal goals are, what I am good at and what I want to get better at, where I want to be in life someday, and all the other cheesy lessons that come along with self-reflections. However, these reflections have also led to me realise that regardless of how much I have started to understand myself, I feel disconnected with the world around me. Whether it is a consequence of the technological age with access to instantaneous facts and information or a flaw of an education system that teaches you how to absorb information for the purpose of regurgitating it when a test comes around, I feel that I am (often) disengaged with my life and all the wonderful understanding and knowledge it can offer.
Last semester I took the course Environmental Philosophy and Ethics at Valparaiso University, and my professor was one of the wisest people I know- it seemed like he knew everything, always explaining why something was the way it was, the origins of where ideas and things came from, or simply a deeper understanding of the world we live in. I had no problem sitting there for hours simply fascinated by the things he knew or the way he viewed life. Well, how can I be like him? Some people might say that if I want to know something, I could just look it up on Google and move on with my life. However, I have found that anything I Google, rather than being locked in my brain for future reference, simply disappears into my back pocket along with my phone, only to be found the next time I once again type my question into the search bar- looking up a quick fact like that isn't making me any the wiser.
As a result, I've decided that it's time for me to really start engaging with the world and all the lessons and knowledge around me. Whether this is talking to new people, trying new things, actively processing and thinking about new information, sitting back and pondering life's moments and messages, or reflecting on my world perspective and trying to understand perspectives that are different from my own, I am ready to start truly learning. Learning is an investment in yourself, a productive use of "extra" time, and a wonderful avenue to pursue personal growth. I have started listening to podcasts, learning French, and reading again, as well as attempting to pick up playing guitar and piano again. I have learned that I come from a position of privilege as a white American, and how important it is to not only acknowledge these privileges, but to dig deeper into understanding what assumptions are built into the way I view my life. From now on, I am going to prioritise experiences and environments that expand my worldview and will put energy into understanding my life on a deeper level. Although I'm leaving Australia soon, I will not stop trying to figuring out who I am and finding my place in this world- I will forever continue to wonder as I wander.
So, welcome to The Wandering Wonderer- a place of open reflection where I will share my journey through life and learning with all of you. The purpose of these posts will be to document some of the topics I want to engage further with or my thoughts as I develop new perspectives and understanding about life. Perhaps you will be inspired to explore some of these lessons further, or will be motivated to evaluate how and what kind of knowledge you engage with on a daily basis. May I inspire you to learn and listen and love, and I hope you take the time to figure out your place in the world like I am on the journey to figure out mine!
I look forward to growing with all of you, and I will see you again soon!
You can see Sonia's blog about healthy living here at http://soniahunt.com/
Early last summer I had the opportunity to speak on the phone with Sonia Hunt, an inspiring woman who, in the bio of her blog, refers to herself as an "entrepreneur, a world traveler, a seasoned digital media technologist, an athlete, a musician, a gadget geek, an adventurer, an engineer, mama to my doggie, a humanitarian, an innovator, an enthusiast of all things spicy and most importantly…out to drive change." This conversation was a result of a video I submitted to Mitch Matthew's Big Dream Boost scholarship back in May- I didn't win, but I was put in contact with Sonia as a mentor and a resource for pushing my dream forward. At the time, I wanted to open a Zero Waste store in the Greater Chicago Area. Being a successful entrepreneur who started her own company, Sonia was very helpful in giving me some perspective on what it takes to start a business and the mindset you need to have to be successful. However, one of the most important pieces of advice she gave me was to use my time abroad to do some soul searching. She told me to write down all my thoughts, jot down all my ideas, and notice if I find a pattern, see what I am passionate about, and figure out how this passion will play into my dreams and goals moving forward. Thank you for that advice Sonia, because that is exactly what I have been doing, and helped me decide to start this blog!
Over the past few months studying abroad at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, I have learned a lot about myself- what I value, what I crave, who and what I love, why I do what I do, what my personal goals are, what I am good at and what I want to get better at, where I want to be in life someday, and all the other cheesy lessons that come along with self-reflections. However, these reflections have also led to me realise that regardless of how much I have started to understand myself, I feel disconnected with the world around me. Whether it is a consequence of the technological age with access to instantaneous facts and information or a flaw of an education system that teaches you how to absorb information for the purpose of regurgitating it when a test comes around, I feel that I am (often) disengaged with my life and all the wonderful understanding and knowledge it can offer.
Last semester I took the course Environmental Philosophy and Ethics at Valparaiso University, and my professor was one of the wisest people I know- it seemed like he knew everything, always explaining why something was the way it was, the origins of where ideas and things came from, or simply a deeper understanding of the world we live in. I had no problem sitting there for hours simply fascinated by the things he knew or the way he viewed life. Well, how can I be like him? Some people might say that if I want to know something, I could just look it up on Google and move on with my life. However, I have found that anything I Google, rather than being locked in my brain for future reference, simply disappears into my back pocket along with my phone, only to be found the next time I once again type my question into the search bar- looking up a quick fact like that isn't making me any the wiser.
As a result, I've decided that it's time for me to really start engaging with the world and all the lessons and knowledge around me. Whether this is talking to new people, trying new things, actively processing and thinking about new information, sitting back and pondering life's moments and messages, or reflecting on my world perspective and trying to understand perspectives that are different from my own, I am ready to start truly learning. Learning is an investment in yourself, a productive use of "extra" time, and a wonderful avenue to pursue personal growth. I have started listening to podcasts, learning French, and reading again, as well as attempting to pick up playing guitar and piano again. I have learned that I come from a position of privilege as a white American, and how important it is to not only acknowledge these privileges, but to dig deeper into understanding what assumptions are built into the way I view my life. From now on, I am going to prioritise experiences and environments that expand my worldview and will put energy into understanding my life on a deeper level. Although I'm leaving Australia soon, I will not stop trying to figuring out who I am and finding my place in this world- I will forever continue to wonder as I wander.
So, welcome to The Wandering Wonderer- a place of open reflection where I will share my journey through life and learning with all of you. The purpose of these posts will be to document some of the topics I want to engage further with or my thoughts as I develop new perspectives and understanding about life. Perhaps you will be inspired to explore some of these lessons further, or will be motivated to evaluate how and what kind of knowledge you engage with on a daily basis. May I inspire you to learn and listen and love, and I hope you take the time to figure out your place in the world like I am on the journey to figure out mine!
I look forward to growing with all of you, and I will see you again soon!
Learn. Think. Engage. Reflect. Wander. Wonder. Repeat.
You can see Sonia's blog about healthy living here at http://soniahunt.com/
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young" ~Henry Ford
"Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too." ~Meryl Streep
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." ~Albert Einstein
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