Want an out of the ordinary conversation? Ask for it!
Poking my head out from the quirk-cave!
Sometimes I find myself in the quirk-cave.
This is a place for me of intense depth and expansion and alchemy.
A place where I experiment, create, breakdown, breakthrough, find clarity, and sometimes all at once.
When I’m in there, sometimes I can’t be in other places.
(still working on my cloning abilities! haha)
So, that’s why there has been some silence. The Quirk-Juice has been brewing.
The process took way longer than I intended or even wanted.
It all enfolds in its own timing.
Creating behind the scenes doesn’t have to mean silence
I’ve been devoting myself to a few important creations. And, I’d been pulling back from these Quirk-Juice letters to focus my efforts on those projects and for events here in NYC.
This morning I had a realization.
I really really miss you!
I don’t want to wait to finish those creations in order to re-connect with you.
I don’t need to have a big splashy return.
It’s enough to say, hello. You’ve been on my mind and in my heart.
And, I’m so happy you’re still here to re-connect!
I have SO much to share with you coming hopefully sooooon.
Until then, I’m going to keep these shorter + sweeter. Because writing more epic letters was feeling overwhelming. As always, I will offer what’s percolating inside me and in the world and hopefully offer some inspiration and insights.
Want an out of the ordinary conversation? Ask for it!
This summer, I wrote a lengthy letter about feeling undefinable. This is still oh so true. However, I’ve been playing with an alternate variation of talking about this quality.
HUMOR.
Answering silly, hard questions with silly responses.
“What do you do?”
This is like starting off with an existential crisis question. WHO ARE YOU? Something we spend our entire lives discovering. You want me to answer that now? Shaping your perception of me from the beginning?!?
So, instead, I’ve been infusing some humor and light-heartedness, responding with things like:
– I am a connection ninja.
– I host imagination playgrounds.
– I’m a professional wiggler.
Then, I immediately follow up with a question to guide the conversation in a deeper direction.
I’m guessing you can relate to thinking: “I don’t like surface conversations. Small talk, bleh. Let’s get to the deeper, juicier topics!”
But, HOW do you do that?
Does there have to be an immediate, natural deep connection or can it be fostered?
I believe connection can be fostered with anyone willing.
So, what if we take the initiative and offer the invitation?
One of my recent favorite questions to ask is:
”What’s something out of the ordinary that you’ve experienced recently?”
I LOVE conversing around things that are surprising, unconventional, and out of the ordinary.
Which is why I started asking for it!!!
And, I’ve found it really livens up the conversation and people are always happy to talk about those things as well!
I’ve missed you and I’m curious what you’ve been up to!
I’ll turn the question over to YOU! What’s something out of the ordinary you’ve experienced recently?
Do you have any questions you love asking that foster interesting, deeper, silly, more connected conversations?
–> Say hello and share with us in the comments!
(or feel free to just respond to me by replying to this email!)
My favorite: I host imagination playgrounds. Delightful Ms. Quirky ! Glad you’re back.
Out of the ordinary experience for me was spending time with my neighbor girls, 5 and 12, as we put stickers on thank you cards to send to soldiers.
A nice way to show them the importance of gratitude and having fun at the same time. I felt good when I mailed out 75 to overseas military folk.
This weekend, the 5 year old is invited over to help me decorate for Christmas. She’s helped me with window stickers in the past (as fun for me as her)
and I trust her this year to be careful with other items. She infuses me with a feeling of enthusiasm and child-like awe and wonder.
Christina,
I was recently befuddled by a situation with my Dad, and so I asked the universe for some help and ‘it’ provided this:
Hope you enjoy.
—
perpetual evening it does surely attest & ascend,
darkness falls, its surly face once again,
Is it really night? fall? it depends
daytime ends, sunlight fades, hard to bend,
the the absent prism prison, reimagining light,
trusty night light flickers on and on, I wish I may I wish I might
keeps the ghosts and goblins at bay,
remains of the day, thoughts fading quickly away,
I seem to fray at the edges, and become more fragile, the familiar sway
perspective, reflective, formative formations
visionary normative, sleepless losing patience
sleepy eyed now, the animals turn around
circles, what’s my current purpose?
days turn to night, night turns to day,
swivel in my armchair, remembering how I used to play
now onto darkness, starkness, pupils dialed, wide open,
uneasiness
stress-less, mess-less, mesh less
pitter patter of my cold feet, up all night,
not even St.Nick is in my sight
age related, youth abated, stomach deflated, sometimes intubated, under appreciated
much to do, wave arms about, take flight do you see it too? the busyness, all day rest, sleep all day, miss my vitamin d
darkness all I grayly, gravely see,
the newspaper comes @ three
a.m., guess I’ll give a glance and a read
what am I, standing freely, easily, stranded, no car to go to and fro,
spatial relation, keep me from my daily rational rations,
up and down the isles I go, only in my mind, tho, rows and rows, stuff I’ll never get to eat, the cart is empty for I only have my mind and feet
for transportation, exasperation, near starvation, can someone call the united nations? me and my virtual consecration concrete island
up again, nighttime folds, I pretend it will be different again, somehow the train never ends
drift into solemn agenda, am attempting a re-bending, the light, nights into days, days into nights, a hitchcock delight, was there a raven, not quite, i know this stage fright familiar, revolving, door, days and nights merge once, is there a trap door, floor, no more
—
Oohh a hard one. I have missed your posts, though, so I’m glad this one came up this week! :)
Out of the ordinary is when my boyfellow bought me a new compound bow for my birthday/wintermas gift and everyone at the archery store is clamoring to teach me how to use it. :) It feels nice to belong.
Out of the ordinary is when my coworkers start commiserating with me about our micromanaging boss and I don’t feel as alone or that it’s a personal targeted attack (all that “constructive” criticism).
I think this is brilliant and well worth sharing…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUO-pWJ0riQ
out of the ordinary… a moment of gratitude expressed to me last night. I’ll explain. There is a guest at a soup kitchen I talk sports with before the start of the evening dinner and last night we caught up as most Fridays. When it was time for me to get ready for the evening, he put his fist out for me to ‘pound it’ and then brought his fist to his heart and said thank you. A simple and honest gesture that reminded me that giving of one’s time does make a difference and that there is still so much good out there.
p.s. so wonderful to hear from you.
Thanks for the invite to join the conversation! No need to apologize for having to much to do and to short a time to do it in. The best creative juice has it’s own time and season. Don’t rush it just for the need to fill a void. Let it simmer away on the back burner to impart it’s most sumptuous flavor.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon visiting each of my fav. shopping centers and found the perfect bird for 10 people. The temptation is to rush around. Ready to go into hyper mode and overkill but today I’m calming my O.C.D. waiting till 2 days before to start the baking and then the day before for stuffing and appetizers. Thanksgiving day will find us up in the wee hours washing the bird and getting him stuffed and in the oven. We always have new folks in. Some that would have no place to go or family to be with. THIS is where my heart opens for the season.
Although each year the holidays feel more compressed: ( wasn’t it just Halloween!)with Santa riding in on his slay ever earlier.
Keeping my heart on what brings the best out in others as well as my own need for meaning; brings the love and the gratitude.
I hope you all have the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever and simmer your juices slowly and with JOY!