The Wonder Report: October 29, 2021
Becoming Curious About Yourselves and Others
| Charity Singleton Craig October 2021 |
Happy Friday!
O, wonder of wonders … October has five Fridays! Since this is kind of a bonus week, I almost took a week off from publishing The Wonder Report. Then I realized how much I still have to share about curiosity. So instead of skipping a week, I’m leaning in even harder, including offering a book giveaway you won’t want to miss. (Details are below.)
2. Curiosity and Friendship {BOOK GIVEAWAY}
My friend Afton Rorvik recently published a book called Living Connected: An Introvert’s Guide to Friendship. It’s a wonderful resource for anyone who is an introvert or is friends with one. I had the opportunity to read an early copy of the book and offer an endorsement. Here’s what I wrote:
“In Living Connected, Afton Rorvik has created a guidebook out of the old adage if you want to have a friend be a friend. This book takes some of the guesswork out of the complexity of friendship, particularly for introverts, like me, who might otherwise resort to just going it alone. And for extroverts, this book offers insight into the introvert mindset that might get in the way of meaningful friendship. In an age where loneliness has become epidemic, Living Connected is a must read.”
I recently interviewed Afton about the book’s connection with our theme of curiosity. (She included a whole chapter on curiosity, in fact!) Here’s a little bit of what she shared:
CHARITY’S QUESTION: What questions led you to write this book on friendship?
AFTON’S ANSWER: That’s how I start writing … I put down the questions. The main question was how do I become a better friend? I’ve wondered that most of my life. Then also part of that was how do I become a better friend as an introvert. Because when I started reading about friendship and introversion, I realized that friendship is different for an introvert. And then the third question is okay, what does my faith have to do with all of this? A lot of the introvert stuff out there says, “I’m an introvert, go away.” And that might be my natural inclination, wanting quiet and wanting time alone, and yet my faith in God calls me to something different. He calls me to live connected, to be his hands and feet. So what does that mean?
CHARITY’S QUESTION: What role do you think curiosity plays in friendship?
AFTON’S ANSWER: I think it’s huge. I think it’s fundamental. We all have a story and we all have a story that needs telling. And we need witnesses to our lives, people who listen to our stories. And curiosity, I think, leads the way. “Who are you?” “What’s happened in your life?” Who of us doesn’t want to have someone ask that of us? “Tell me about your life, tell me your story. What makes you you?”
(By the way, paying subscribers will receive an email later this weekend with a link to the video of the whole interview! It’s only 11 minutes long and filled with wisdom about curiosity and friendship.)
Now, for the best news!
I purchased an extra copy of the book to give to one lucky reader! Just leave a comment below (or reply to this email) with a story about friendship or any thoughts you have about friendship and curiosity. I’ll draw a winner next Thursday, November 4, in time to announce in Friday’s Wonder Report.