Curiosity is a Curious Thing

     Curiosity is both the mother of invention and the father of failure. It is one of the most important traits in human nature, yet I fear that our standardized classrooms are developing a generation of children who are no more curious than a gold fish.
     Imagine what your day would be like if no one had ever asked the question, “What would happen if…?”
     This thought occurred to me at the strangest of times: lunch, as I squeezed bright yellow mustard onto my go-to ham and cheese sandwich.
     What possessed that very first person to look at a tiny mustard seed and ask, “What would happen if I collected thousands of these, crushed them into a powder, mixed them with vinegar and spread the result on meat or bread?”
      The same goes for mayonnaise. What curious person mindlessly beat an egg and thought to add oil and salt and vinegar and whatever else to it?
     And cheese! Who would ever think to take ruined milk and let it dry in cakes, grow mold, then slice it and serve it?
     I owe my lunch today to the curiosity of these people.
     I could probably spend the rest of the day making a list of these wonders I take for granted that I owe to the curious.

• Peanut butter.
• The computer I’m typing this on.
• The cellphone beside me.
• The gasoline engine that powers my truck.
• The mechanical pencil that I make notes with.

     All of these, I owe, to the man or woman who asked, “What if?”
     What are you curious about? Have you ever wondered what would happen if…? What great idea is teetering on the brink of discovery if you just indulge your curiosity?

     Now, apply that thought to your attitude and spirit.
     What would happen if I determined to start every day with a positive thought?
     What would happen if I read my Bible every day?
     What would happen if I made it a point to say a prayer of thanksgiving every day?
     What would happen if I decided to make a difference, no matter how small, in at least one person’s life every day?
     Life-changing inventions have come from asking, “What would happen if?”
     What would happen if you started asking, “what if?” today?