Rediscovering Childhood Wonder: The Power of Creativity and Nature's Tranquility

What if the spark of childhood wonder could transform your daily life?
 
Join me, Carmen Cauthen, as I share the heartwarming tale of my daughter's 80-year-old babysitter, who proves that creativity knows no age by inventing new words each day. This episode of "Quiet, No More" invites you on a journey through personal anecdotes and reflections on how continuous learning—whether through the pages of a novel or a simple change in routine—can invigorate our minds and enrich our lives. You’ll hear about how my socially and environmentally conscious friends have opened my eyes to the simple beauty around us, like the unforgettable moment I encountered a stately blue heron at Walnut Creek. Such experiences rekindle the simple joys of being a child, immersed in nature and exploration.

Together, let's rediscover those long-forgotten activities that once filled our hearts with joy. Whether it's exploring creeks or finding inspiration among trees, these simple pleasures can break the monotony and nurture our spirits. I encourage you to revisit past interests or embark on new adventures—like exploring different genres of music, picking up a new book, or taking a mindful walk in nature. Embrace creativity and curiosity as guides to a more fulfilling life. 

This episode is a celebration of the fulfillment that comes from seeking knowledge and embracing new experiences amidst the tranquility of nature and the simplicity of childhood joys.

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Carmen Wimberley Cauthen is an author, speaker, and lover of history, Black history in particular. As a truth teller, she delights in finding the hidden truths about the lives of people who made a difference - whether they were unknown icons or regular everyday people.

To Learn more of Carmen:
www.carmencauthen.com
www.researchandresource.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Unseen, unheard.
We've lived like that far toolong.
I'm Carmen Coffin and this isQuiet, no More.
Hi, I just wanted to talk toyou about another pet peeve I

(00:25):
have.
It's that I think it'simportant to learn something new
every day.
I do.
I'm not saying it has to besomething big, it just has to be
something new.
That's how one of the ways youexercise your brain is to put
something new in it every day.

(00:45):
We don't use but about 15 or 20percent capacity of our brain,
so it's not like you're gonnafill it up.
Well, what I think?
If you don't want to learnsomething new every day, I think
you're pretty lazy.

(01:07):
I learn new stuff in differentways.
Sometimes I learn by reading,and I don't mean reading major,
huge stuff.
I mean I might pick up a BlackOps novel and learn something
new, because I just likepolitical and kind of CIA kind

(01:30):
of stuff, novels.
I also like romances.
You can learn new stuff inromances.
You can learn about a new townor city or a new language in the
process of reading that.
You can learn something newjust going to the grocery store,
getting out of your normalspace and your normal routine.

(01:51):
But when you stop learning, whyare you still here?
I mean, what's the purpose ifeverything is going to be the
same forever?
I remember one of my daughter'sbabysitters.

(02:11):
I went to visit her one day andshe was 80 something when she
was babysitting my girls and shewould take one word every day
and see how many more words shecould make out of it, because
she did not want her mind tostop working.
Now, she didn't have to have abook, she didn't have to have a

(02:37):
word search, word find,crossword, puzzle, any of that
kind of stuff.
She would just come, take aword every day and then start
breaking it down and she wouldstop and go, do other things and
come back to that word all daylong.
Her mind was always working andshe was a treasure and she made

(03:03):
sure that my youngest daughterwas ready for school when she
got there.
Now, she didn't necessarilyteach her to read because she
was older and so that wasn't oneof the things she was doing,
but she made sure she knew herABCs, her colors, how to write
her name, and she didn't haveworkbooks.

(03:24):
She didn't have any of thatstuff.
She used to teach my daughterlittle wooden blocks that looked
like they were older than methat had the alphabet on them.
But she learned from that tobreak a word down every day.
So she was learning somethingnew every day.

(03:46):
She learned when she finallygot a computer how to play
solitaire on the computer.
I have to have something new inmy head every day.
It could be from reading, likeI said, it could be from driving
somewhere.
Just driving around the city ofRaleigh.

(04:06):
I learn something new every daybecause if I go a different way
every two or three weeks,there's some new, something
built, there's some streets thatare changing.
I am amazed at the things that Ican learn just by being out and

(04:28):
around other people.
I've started hanging out withpeople who are into the
environment and you know, theenvironment was always outdoors
to me and so outdoors was notone of my favorite things, was
always outdoors to me, and sooutdoors was not one of my
favorite things.
And on top of that my childrenwere allergic to grass and trees

(04:51):
and stuff like that, so wedidn't spend a lot of time
outdoors.
But the other day I was drivingto Sam's and the Sam's is by
Walnut Creek, which is a bigcreek that flows to the river
that floods and it floods theBlack community quite a bit, but
when I was driving past thechain link fence on the side of

(05:16):
Sam's that separates the Sam'sdriveway from the creek, I saw
something blue outside standingin the water and I pulled over
and I took my phone and Iexpanded it so I could take a
picture through the chain linkfence.

(05:37):
I was amazed.
I'd never seen a blue heron inmy community, but evidently they
like Walnut Creek and so therewas one standing there and it
was beautiful and the color wasgorgeous, and I never would have
thought to even look for it ifI had not begun to spend time

(06:00):
with people who wereenvironmentally aware and who
showed me that that creek issomething special.
And so I've been learning aboutpeople who spent time in the
creek, and it's brought memoriesback to me of time that I spent
growing up.

(06:20):
There are two creeks that borderthe city of Raleigh.
Crabtree Creek is on the northside, walnut Creek is on the
south, and I remember when I wasgrowing up and I was an only
girl in the neighborhood and oneof the things that I would do
to be by myself and to beoutside was to go down to the

(06:45):
creek.
I used to go down to CrabtreeCreek and I would take my shoes
off and my socks and I wouldwalk along the creek bed.
I didn't see a blue heron, butI did see all kinds of other
critters that were down there,and I had forgotten, until I saw

(07:05):
that blue heron, that I enjoyeddoing that when I was growing
up.
It's amazing, as we grow older,how we stop doing some of the
things that we did when we werechildren.
As the neighborhood around megrew, I didn't feel comfortable
going down behind people'shouses to go to the creek, and

(07:29):
so I stopped doing that.
But now I can see that Iactually valued the environment
that was around me, and so Iwould suggest to you that you
think about things that you usedto do that you may not do

(07:50):
anymore and wonder why it is youdon't do that it's not just
that we're frustrated or we'rebusy with life, but sometimes
it's that we forgot we likedthose things and, like I said, I
forgot.

(08:10):
I used to like to go to thecreek.
It was quiet, and even though Imight hear a little bit of the
roar of the cars driving on thehighway, it wasn't very loud
because there weren't very manycars and there wasn't that much
highway at that point, but therewas peace and solitude and

(08:38):
frogs and tadpoles and fish inthe water and tadpoles and fish
in the water.
But you know, I went another 50years and didn't do that.
So it's only been in the lasttwo or three years that I've
actually started to look atoutdoors differently, and I've

(08:59):
remembered, too, that one of theother things that I love to
learn about was trees.
I love being around a tree.
I used to climb them when I wasgrowing up, and that's another
thing that I've had to revisit.

(09:21):
Not climbing, because I'm not,you know, I'm 65.
I'm not trying to climb up atree, I'm not trying to fall,
I'm not trying to do any ofthose things, but just the
beauty of being around a treeand how it makes me feel and how
it makes me want to be creativeand to grow, and it gives me

(09:43):
inspiration to go learnsomething new.
And so that's what I was talkingabout this whole while it's
important to learn new stuffevery day, and sometimes I am
encouraged to learn somethingnew by somebody who's with me it

(10:03):
might be one of my girls, bysomebody who's with me it might
be one of my girls, it might bea young person that I'm around
doing something else, it mightbe a small child, it might even
be a dog.
I've had to learn how to spendtime with dogs just coming to

(10:23):
this studio to record, becausethere's a dog in the studio with
me and he's being very quietand very nice and that's a good
thing.
So whatever it is that you usedto do when you were a kid that
you've gotten away from doingnow that you're an adult, that

(10:45):
you've gotten away from doingnow that you're an adult, think
about doing it again and ifthere's nothing you can think
about, that you used to do thatyou want to do again.
Find something new to do,whether that's going to the
library to check out a book orgoing on a walk or listening to

(11:05):
a different radio station or adifferent style of music.
I bet you can do it, becauseyou know we can't be quiet all
the time, and I'm not beingquiet anymore.
You've been listening to Quietno, no more, where I share my

(11:27):
journey.