This week I mentioned to Paul that a book I was reading was leaving me very conflicted about what I was to think – the information being presented was simply presented as it happened, which included both the good and the bad decisions the man made in leading his nation. But no where in the book did it tell me if I should think the man was, overall, good or bad as a leader and I have mulled over questions regarding him all week.
Later, I started a different book about the life of a shrew and the beginning of the book starts as such;
“It all began on a day in mid-August when a friend and I climbed one of the highest peaks in the Colorado Rockies… when I made my way through the wet grass to the stream … something very small and dark and furry darted in front of my feet and disappeared under the dwarf willows. It gave me the impression of speed, energy, and minuteness, and I thought at first I had seen a small mouse. But on second thought I knew that the color was not right, nor was the tail, nor the tapering muzzle.
What I had seen was a shrew.
One has plenty of time on a long and rocky climb to think about many things. All that morning my thoughts kept jumping back to the shrew. I knew that shrews did not hibernate. How did they manage to survive the rigors of a mountain winter? I knew they were primarily eaters of insects. Where did they find insects in cold weather? How did they make out? What, in short, was their way of life?”
The book was the result of her studying to answer the questions, and it is an engaging story about an animal I didn’t know I was curious about until reading her introduction.
Questions are so powerful.
In case you missed part one of this new series of questions for conversations, you can find my first set of questions here.
Grab a favorite drink and cozy blanket and sit down to think through these following questions yourself – or better yet, ask them to a friend!
Five Questions to Inspire Conversations
- What do your thoughts turn to most frequently when you are free to think of what you want?
- What did you do this week that you enjoyed?
- Who was the most interesting person you encountered this week? (book people count as people!)
- What is the most memorable nature walk you have been on? (because of beauty, company, encounters, etc.)
- How have you handled being hurt by other people?
Books that Inspired the Questions
And while I cannot with an absolute certainty contribute the inspiration of my questions to a singular source, I am going to add – as best I can recall – the resources I feel inspired such questions. Also, this older post explains why I read so widely – the reason might surprise you as it’s not because I love books.
