Deep Philosophical Three Minute Conversations
One of my favorite past times is what I call Deep Philosophical Three Minute Conversations. In line at Starbucks, on an airplane, when Life offers up some kind of unexpected delay . . .
How many opportunities do we seize, or miss — to interact with those around us?
Do we stand there, mute? Or do we open up to the treasure trove of experiences the person next to us has to offer?
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Leading Questions/ Conversation Starters
I actually brainstormed this list of Conversation Starters while waiting for an airplane undergoing repairs — resulting in an unscheduled four-hour hold in a Honolulu airport lobby.
After three long hours, tired, bored, I tried out one of the questions on the handsome twentysomething young man slumped in the chair next to me, wearing an expensive looking long-sleeved shirt.
Sometime after the airline had offered a second round of water!! and tiny bags of cracker snacks, I asked, “Who’s been your biggest role model in life?”
He looked at me. His face engaged. His eyes lit up.
He went on to tell me how important his Dad was in his life. Turns out, he was the youngest of seven kids. His Dad had been a football coach and college administrator at the university in the small town in Hawaii where this young man had grown up.
After having a difficult time in high school, inspired by his Dad’s example, he told me how he had struggled academically, overcame the obstacles, increased his GPA and went off to college to became an Entertainment Lawyer in the sports (football!!!) industry. WOW! Representing Pro Football players!
Definitely one of the more interesting conversations that I can recall!
Here’s my Brainstorm List of Conversation Starters. I’d love to hear some of yours.
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Lessons
* What lessons have you learned from Life?
* From all that you’ve learned, what advice would you give?
* If you were on a desert isle with nothing else – what would you HAVE TO HAVE with you, or go NUTS? And WHY?
Role Model
** Who is your biggest role model? Why? What did you learn from them?
* Who has made the biggest impact/difference in your life? How?
* What would you say to: Abe Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, George Washington, ________________?
— What would THEY say to you?
Challenges
* What challenges are you going through in life?
* What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
— How did you deal with them?
— What did you LEARN from them???
* How do you handle life’s little annoyances?
**** How about the BIG ONES!!?
* What are you most afraid of?
* How do you handle Fear? Depression?
Recreation/Art/Hobbies
* What do you think is really cool to do?
* What do you like to CREATE?
* What’s your favorite Artistic activity?
— What is it that you love about it?
* What little things make you happiest?
Philosophy
* Why do you think you/we were put here?
— By whom or what?
* If you knew you were to die tomorrow, what would you:
Eat?
Do?
Say?
— Who would you call?
— What would you value the most?
* How do you make a difference???
— When you do, how do you know it?
— How do you feel?
* What difference do your:
Thoughts
Feelings
Actions
Interactions…make?
* Do you appreciate living in ________________? (America)
— What do you appreciate about it?
* Is the glass half empty or half full? Why?
Intuition
* Do you:
Talk to God?
Hear or sense intuition/answers?
Feel stuff before it happens?
Have intuitive/prophetic dreams?
Awake with dread, or joy?
Other Worldly . . .
* Have you ever had a near-death experience?
* Have you ever seen an ET?
* What’s your most extraordinary dream?
* Have you ever heard from a loved one who’s passed away?
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You get the picture. More than just talking about the weather. Because to me, Life’s too rich to just stick to the shallow stuff.
I’m amazed at what I’ve learned by asking people these unlikely questions. How quickly people can open up.
And oh yes, I’ve gotten some interesting answers to the ET question!!! If you don’t ask, they certainly won’t tell!
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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s sister blog: Soul Horse Ride
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Copyright 2014, 2024
Photographs: Dawn Jenkins
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journal of dawn 
Dear Lady Farrier Dawn…. kudos to you…for taking the time to set this in writing… request you put pen to paper about your experience with the black porter at LA as another “treasure trove of experiences” to stimulate others to make a move. Know it was moving to me and I’ll never forget it. Also bet your conversation with this young man elicited positive vibes and made him feel good telling you about his role model and his consequent turnaround and success… Madame, you are indeed special….and I’m mighty proud of you!! xo pp
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OOOhhh Pat!!! Thank you for commenting!!! I have little happy tears in my eyes right now, flashing back to you and me and working on Pepper’s hooves, dogs nibbling on hoof shavings — tropical birds singing songs in the background. And all the wonderful dimensions of life and stories and snippets that we’ve shared!!!
Two nights ago a client asked me to look back in my records and see how old her horse is now — she lost track, I’ve worked on him since foalhood — I went back to 2004 and found your name, and Pepper, written there in my work book, and I smiled! We’ve known each other for a wonderful decade now!
It means a lot to me that you wrote this. And thank you for reminding me of Frederick. (May we remember him in our prayers!!!) I’ll ask for him when I pass through LAX this next trip!
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Reblogged this on Authentic Diva.
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I enjoy the way you worded this post and what the content was about. You seem to be a deep thinker, it seems hard to find those around where I live. So with that, I will ask you a question: why do you think life exists?
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Good on you! Btw, love the pic on your site with the devil-cowboy — where’d you find it? I stumbled across your blog last night and enjoyed your thoughts, too.
I like the question. And I think Life is linked with self-reflection and self-discovery. Self-betterment. We’re all given the chance, every day, to make something better of ourselves. But do we?
Seems like the past two months have been an accelerated time for this. I’ve made so many breakthroughs lately. And writing the blog has helped, because in doing that I’ve had to put my thoughts to logical test, outside myself, not just in my own head.
And when I stumbled and lost it recently, I pulled up my own Emergency Emotional Escape Ramp post, read it, did it, and it WORKED! Runaway avoided before gaining too much speed. 🙂
I believe that we are energy beings, resonant vessels. And we often forget that we get to tune our harp strings to a beautiful frequency — or not. Moment to moment. All day long. Always a choice, often blatantly hidden in boldface right before us, until we yearn for, ask for something higher. Lovelier.
What about you. What are your breakthroughs lately???
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I am glad you asked what my recent breakthroughs are. This is a stretch for me in that I have had so many, but I have not really stopped and put them down on paper… or typed them out.
The biggest break through I feel that I have had is the ability to grow. In this I mean that growing up I listened to what people said and believed it as fact. Even when I was in my 20s I still followed the belief system that I adapted as a child. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I took a statistics class that I learned that things need to be tested before I believe them as fact. I grew out of the old me and I continue to grow.
So at this point I started questioning everything. I dedicated my life to truth rather than belief.
This leads me to my next break through: there is no truth besides what we seen now, and even at that, some people believe this to be a dream or an illusion.
Take religion: evolution vs creation. I have found that there is evidence supporting both sides. There is evidence that supports both a young earth and an old earth.
Break through number 3, people believe what they want and then they back it up with evidence rather that find evidence to create their belief. In my studies, which has been going on for about four years now, I have found that we live in a paradox. Anything that someone can claim as truth, someone else can have an argument on why it is not true.
To answer the question on why are we here? why does life exists? I will have to think about that
I could keep going, but since I do not know you I will stop there for fear that I bore you to death. If you want to know more, let me know.
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A lot of my best stuff comes, literally, from my dreams. In fact, in my computer Journal entry, transcribing the list of questions I wrote about here, (I have handwritten and computer Journals — have to — sometimes the power in life just flat goes out!) I awoke and wrote:
In my dream, I asked: “Have you ever had a near-death experience?” as a conversation starter. TRY that!!!
Last night’s revelation: I had one of those nights you wrestle with. Fighting off the bad with the good. Changing the energy from frightened funk to fabulous fortitude.
I awoke with two things. The word, Resonance. And the image of a paper clip. Not the old fashioned kind, but the cheapo newer plastic Delta-wing shaped kind.
Interpretation: All of life is Resonance. Either for the good, or the bad. It’s another way of representing energy. And we can go up, or down. When we find ourselves down, like tuning my daughter’s harp, we can tune up. Tune in. Otherwise, our music, no matter how beautifully played, sucks.
The paper clip was about the Wing. Lift! One of the most marvelous concepts in physics. With it, sailboats sail. Airplanes fly. I’m a pilot — won’t bore you with the details of what this means to me, but it all ties in together. :))
Thanks for going deeper in the dialog. A rare and appreciated quality, not readily found on the internet!!!
dawn@frazmtn.com
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It’s insane how you can interpret your dreams like that. I am amazed and decently jealous. I understand that dreams are come from the unconscious, with concepts of day residue, and others. But yours seem to come from an almost higher level. Obviously I am only seeing a glimpse, but you seem very “in tuned” with what is going on in, what others would call, your spiritual life.
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Thanks — I’m convinced that it’s available to all of us. We just have to tune in, tune “up”, and allow our receivers to receive it, like a radio.
It starts with the desire, and of course, we have to ASK. Then write or record what we get. Honor it. Act on it. It’s a mutual-trust thing.
In fact, TRUST is something I get from my dreams very frequently: “God is Real — TRUST!”
That’s more important than the question of ET’s. More immediate!
And God is Love. And LOVE is the Resonance of the Universe. I’m convinced of that.
And if I can operate within that Resonance, and not the lower vibrations, I’m happier. And everything goes better. :))
And all of Life has more meaning!
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Do you claim a religion? Also, you say that everyone have the capacity to tune in, but I would also say that some people (such as you) are also born or blessed with a talent. It may come more natural to you then it does to the next person.
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Truly, this is available to all of us. One day, years ago when my life was crumbling and falling out from under me, I reached out in my heart with a novel idea: Ask Jesus if He’s REAL. Ask Him to show me, one-on-one, practical-like. And so I closed my eyes and prayed: “Jesus, if you’re real, SHOW ME! If you are real, I’ll believe in you. If you’re not, I won’t.” Basic. But I really meant it.
Then followed a series of events, showing me: yes! Quiet at first, appearing circumstantial. Quiet, but very real. This culminated maybe a month later with a near-miss car accident — REALLY NEAR-MISS — up a canyon road in Malibu. To this day, I don’t know how I wasn’t eliminated by it!!! I rolled down the window, thanking, shouting, “Thank you!!! You’re REAL!!! Thank you!!! You’re REAL!!! I BELIEVE!!!”
It seems God waits us to come to Him, to seek Him out. It’s OK if we take wrong turns and blunder along the way, that just makes us all the more convinced when we finally find Him. (He seems VERY PATIENT!) We have to tune in, tune up, and work on ourselves, not just sit back and watch all the good stuff happen. It’s work. It’s a relationship. And it’s DIVINE. :)) Each one of us has to find it on our own, and that’s the key to contentment. Keeping the ongoing dialog — asking Him for tips and pointers, and following them. Like me starting this here blog. And you reading . . .
At some point, Goodness must be more important than darkness. It’s the Goodness of God, the Love, that I do my best to resonate with. This eliminates the darkness. This wipes away anxiety and gives me peace. That’s why I’ve worked on writing up my Strategies, using the intelligence He’s given me, reminding myself of supplements and action steps I can take to be the best I can be.
What are you battling with? Where are you seeking for answers? How is your life holding up?
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I guess I would be seeking for answers when it comes to where we really came from. basically we have two theories: evolution and creationism. There are more theories, but those are the two main stream thoughts.
Besides that, I feel pretty complete.
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Very cool, and that was a great question to ask the guy on the plane. People have a person they admire/see as a role model, and yet probably do not get to talk much about it, so I imagine anyone would light up…and with such a story, who would not be interesting to hear it. Very good.
It is also interesting, that in your first paragraph I came to realize how I have been treasuring small, but intense discussion with strangers about certain things. Not quite the caliber of the questions you have above (those are great ones), but generally just of the scenes around us at the time.
Cheers!
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Yes. I’ve been writing what I call Word Pictures for quite some time now. And capturing Small Snippets of Random Goodness that I see.
Here’s a couple from 2009:
Little kid (@3) in Kalapawai market (Hawaii) with binoculars: “I see you have binoculars there,” I say. He holds them up to his eyes, backwards, and looks up. :))
I’m driving my car to LAX for a Hawaii trip. Somewhere off Sepulveda, I see a little kid (@6) walk down a short stairway, then he RUNS — just because he’s a little kid, and he feels like it, and he can . . .
I wonder: When do adults lose the ability to RUN — just because they feel like it, and they can?
That same week, my (then-college-age) daughter, Ella, tells me about her Scotland (University) experience. And how she gets away from the city for a day to a beautiful green countryside, and she RUNS — just because she feels like it, and she can!!! And how much JOY that small act brings her . . .
(I wonder who might have seen her — gangly, tall, 21-year-old, running, like a little kid???)
And I remember the glimpse of the kid I saw. And I flash back, years ago, to my own little kids, and our then-baby goats, hopping, twisting, running. And I smile!!!
I’ll have to keep a look out for something new this week. Imagine, because I took the time to notice that, because I journaled it, I remember it all still!
:))
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Great idea of word pictures. The ‘running because I can’ feeling is something, emotionally at least, that I think we forget about as we get older…and then eventually cannot do because we no longer do it. I think about this more times than I should, and still do it. For me, it is mainly on stairs…where I jump 2-4 stairs and it feels great and I run up the rest of the flight. It feels good..a bit like a kid again, and those moments will just become more rare as we move forward in life. Look forward to the post 🙂
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I just ran upstairs myself, jumping several at a time, on a mission to retrieve something from my office. :)) Why? I was inspired! I had a harebrained idea, and decided to ACT on it! (Hence the emotional aspect!)
Also I’m on a cleansing diet right now and I have more energy and I feel FANTASTIC!!! (And I’m HOME and not bending over shoeing horses.)
Maybe that’s part of what holds us back, too, as we age. The weight, the toxins. The aches. Changing how I eat has really made a difference!!! (Paleo, off of grains)
Btw, have you ever read Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill? It’ a motivational classic. Found this blog link and spent an evening listening to his audio recordings and WOW — what inspiration! Too intense to really “listen” to, but if played in the background, many gems can be awakened.
Are you in China or Oregon? What time of day is it there?
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You are so right about diet… I never realized how good I eat, until I was back in the States. Interested in the Paelo diet, but I NEED bread…just the best. Hitting the greens hard though.
Will check out the site you listed. In Seattle now, so just breaking into the afternoon 🙂
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Happy Seattle! I lived in a tipi in a cow pasture in Enumclaw when I was 19 — cut the trees for the poles, sewed the canvass myself. Milked cows on a dairy farm. The kind of stuff that builds character . . .
Talk more about diet later — all I can say is, look around. If you eat like an American, you’ll die like one!!!
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Hi, Dawn. I tried calling you yesterday, but you must have been out and there was no message machine. I’ll try again today. In the meantime, I’m having a wonderful time following this conversation and mulling over the questions. It reminded me of a conversation my daughter and I had with five guests recently. Someone asked the question: ” What do you believe in? Do you believe in God?” We see these people frequently, but had never before had this question arisen. It was endearing and enlightening. So much swirls and whirls about us each day that it is like a haven when we find someone to talk to, really talk to, about what matters to us. Those conversation- starter questions of yours can prompt people to explore and discuss matters close to their hearts. Speaking of that, I hope we can get together again soon.
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Hi Patricia :)) Had a wonderful trip to Santa Barbara, digging deeper into Life and loving it. Finding those who could share a bit below the surface, and above. And those who were stuck . . .
Drove the back-way last night, out of Ojai — with all the dips and curves of the mountainous roadway — so much fun!
My Jeep spun and whirled its way home, with music and laughter. I felt like Hans Solo, flying through the outer reaches of the Galaxy, out of the city lights, into the familiar blackness of space.
I’m not sure the ‘civilized world’ knows what to do with us outliers — we don’t seem to be part of their reality!
Right now I’m watching a squirrel snuffling through seed at the feeder on our back porch, a pale blue sky, and the early signs of Springtime. Marvelous!
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I’m so glad you landed safely from your jeep flight. When we look up at the night sky, it seems we can take off from the chair in the garden straight to the moon. Landscapes have always fascinated me, and I get the urge to just live in each one. Every time I visited a new place, I started looking around at real estate. I always found great bargains, but never had the money to buy them. Ah, well, imagination has to suffice.
Will you be in town for a while or are you headed back to Hawaii?
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Patricia, I had wanted to stop by and visit — but alas, Malibu work multiplied! :~)) And now I’m in Hawaii. Will call you when I’m back home and see you when I come down your way! :))
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Great! I’ll be looking forward to it.
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Pingback: Blue Skies Tagged Ahead | journal of dawn
This is one of my favorite things to do! Connect with people through starting conversations. What better way to pass the time. So often we go along in our own little world, not opening our eyes to what’s right in front of us.
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As a farrier, I’ve found that if I can open up myself, expose my vulnerabilities to the person holding the horse for me, rather than just sharing small talk . . . just maybe, they can open themselves up too. And just maybe, and in some cases — YES! — we can connect and become friends . . . :))
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Wow this is great! I honestly wish more people were that open with having real conversations with people. Something about the digital and social media age has made us all less willing to make real conversation with individuals we don’t know, but instead ramble to ourselves on social media platforms and tune out anyone who is outside of our phones. I would honestly find it refreshing if someone asked me any of those questions, and I hope to one day be brave enough to ask people some questions as well:)
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I’ve had some great encounters with that list — although, granted, many people look at me like I’m nuts :)) But we can’t connect if we don’t start somewhere, right? Especially as I spent so much time on the road in those days.
I have one more list of questions for you — in my Blue Tag Award post. You might enjoy answering these :)) I did. It gave me insights into myself that were helpful. So I’m tagging you for the Blue Sky, if you dare . . . :))
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I also like the deeper stuff, Dawn, but I am not sure I would feel comfortable asking such personal questions of someone I don’t know. I am amazed that you had such good responses and interactions. Probably a lot of people hunger for more meaningful interactions, but we are all too worried about being considered indiscreet.
I like to swim, and I have been surprised at the direction some conversations take when I talk to other women in the shower or locker room. Even if brief, some of these interactions can be so meaningful!
I hope you are well.
Tanja
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Thank you, Tanja. I suppose it’s all timing, like with Nature. Animals. (Horses.) Listen for the intuitive nudge, watch for their body language, and you’ll know when there’s a chance for a meaningful connection :)) I have at least three deep friendships that have come out of taking the risk. Enjoy the Spring!!! :))
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I hope you are enjoying your spring! 🌼
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We do need to slow down in our days and pay attention to create these moments with the people all around us. Never know where you could discover something compelling
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Yes, thank you — so very true :))
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