#4 Permission to Explore

☀️ Let Curiosity Balance It Out

Growing up, my parents had just one ask when it came to high school: stick to the mathematics and computer science track. Everything else? Fair game, as long as I kept my grades up.

So, faced with both opportunity and responsibility, I put on my explorer hat. I joined a drama club (for three years), took part in exchange programs and debate competitions, organized youth events and festivals, volunteered in NGOs, even did an internship at a print shop in Spain through an international project.

Now, I won’t lie: I didn’t love the academic track I was in. But having the freedom to explore beyond it made all the difference. I could still feed my curiosity and pursue my interests outside the classroom. That made everything feel surprisingly balanced (okay, sometimes just barely bearable - physics was rough).

But that’s what this week is about: staying open. To various interests. To side quests. To unexpected passions that balance out the parts of life that feel like a grind.

Because keeping our minds curious isn’t just fun, it’s how we stay fully us.

📖 3 Articles to Spark Your Curiosity

1. How to Write a Joke - Whether or not you dream of stand-up, this is a fun look at structure, surprise, and the psychology of laughter.

2. The Forest as Physician and Therapist - Nature’s not just calming, it’s medicinal. This article explores the growing field of forest therapy!

3. Why Colors Matter in the Office - The hues around us affect more than we think, from productivity to stress levels.

🗞️ 3 Headlines From This Week

1. Zimbabwe’s ‘Friendship Benches’ Are Going Global - Therapy doesn’t have to happen in a clinic. This grassroots mental health initiative started with a simple wooden bench in Zimbabwe. And, now it's inspiring cities worldwide to bring conversations and care into the community.

2. The Best Cat Toys (2025 Edition) - Curious cats deserve curious toys. This roundup blends expert advice with a sprinkle of science to help your feline friends stay mentally and physically enriched.

3. Black Mirror Meets Gaming - Netflix’s newest season doesn’t just ask questions about tech, it puts you inside the story. A new mobile game ties into the series, blurring the lines between entertainment, immersion, and eerie prediction.

☀️ 3 Actions to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

1. Write 10 ideas/day. Try it for a week. They don’t have to be good, they just have to exist. Watch what happens to your thinking.

   • You can further explore the idea in this Medium article.

2. Try the “Opposite Day” Technique. Shake things up by doing the opposite of what you’d normally choose (within reason, of course). Say yes to something you'd typically decline, take the long route instead of the shortcut, or swap your usual lunch for something totally different. Work at a different time. Flip your defaults and see what new perspectives show up. 

3. Cook a meal you’ve never made before. Break out of your recipe rut and try something totally new in the kitchen, whether it’s a dish from a cuisine you rarely explore or an ingredient you’ve never cooked with before. 

   • Don’t know where to start? New York Times Cooking is a goldmine of inspiration, from cozy classics to surprising flavor combos that spark curiosity (and cravings). 

⚡ 6 Quick Resources

🎥 To watch: How This Famous Architect Revolutionized The Way Architects Design - A visual breakdown of her bold, gravity-defying designs and lasting influence on the field.

🎧 To listen: Creative Pep Talk - Weekly inspiration for makers & dreamers.

📖 To read: The Fermi Paradox - Why haven’t we found aliens yet? This theory explores the gap between probability and reality when it comes to extraterrestrial life.

🛠️ To play: Little Alchemy 2 - mix elements, discover combos, lose track of time.

📚 To learn: How Microchips Are Made - Take a journey into the chip-making process, from photolithography to the environmental impact of building trillions of transistors each second.

🎨 To plan: The 7 Best Places to See Penguins in Chile - If you’re dreaming of travel with a quirky twist, this one's a chilly but charming idea.

🎲 This week’s wonderfully random corner of the internet 

📦 The Pudding – https://pudding.cool/ 

Data visualizations that are smart, strange, and surprisingly poetic. From deep dives into cultural phenomena to quirky internet curiosities, it’s a playground for curious minds and beautiful charts.

📝 Word of the Week

Numinous (adj.) - Describing something that feels both mysterious and awe-inspiring, often invoking a sense of the spiritual or transcendent.

It's the feeling you get when standing under a vast starry sky, or walking through a quiet forest that somehow feels... alive.

🧘‍♀️ Question of the Week for Introspection

Where in your life do you experience that quiet sense of wonder?

You know, the kind you can’t quite explain, but deeply feel?

See you next Sunday! Until then, keep your eyes open, your questions big, and your sense of wonder alive.

Your curious internet friend,

Ruxandra