This semester I have begun working on a project in Dr. Pyters lab that takes about three and a half hours a day for four days a week. I am alone with the mice and work on behavioral analysis, which has left me with lots of time to think and listen. After being introduced to the TED Radio Hour podcast, I have been using my time to learn about all of the creative, inventive, and quirky things people dedicate their lives to. Today I listened to the “Quiet” episode, and Gavin Pretor-Pinney spoke about his love for clouds. Not as a meteorologist loves clouds. He simply just appreciates them for their beauty. While looking at artwork in Rome, he began to notice just how many clouds were in paintings, and then gave a talk about his experience and began a society for cloud appreciation. He turned this experience into a discussion about finding ways to slow down and be mindful about the things around you.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney – From TED Radio Hour
This got me thinking about how all of the other people who give Ted Talks begin changing the world with their ideas. Most of these people experience something that peaks their interest. Nothing significant, but still noticeable. This is where I believe most people stop. They become interested and then forget about it and move on with their average life. However these speakers dwell on that interest and begin to think about what they can do to pursue that idea. Their course of life is changed by a seemingly insignificant event that becomes significant because of what they decide to do with it. Listening to these podcasts has helped me realize that I have been given a set of life experiences, and what I decide to make out of the things I find interesting is what will make me exceptional.