Experimental Life

While eating my nightly quota of figs, sitting on the couch snuggling with my husband something on PBS caught my ear. It was the playful absurdity of AJ Jacobs, a writer who was explaining his life as an experiment. One month he experimented saying whatever was on his mind without filter. It was a long month, not free of potential problems. Another time, he did not gossip. A proponent of experiment, he explained that it needn't be as radical as following the rules of the bible, stoning adulteresses, but it could be as simple as experimenting by changing your tooth paste from your ordinary brand. He argues it creates new synapses in the brain. I speculate it could enfuse playfulness and a sense of curiosity in one's life. Perhaps Jacobs' purpose was to create fodder for his writing, however it could also be designed for common good. For instance, I wonder what would happen if each time I spoke to someone, I would pause and look into their eyes and smile. Consider the more frivolous: how many would notice that I am wearing mismatched earrings or shoes or I wonder how many walking miles my sneakers will last. How would your life become an experiment?  Does this have a place in your life? Would this have the potential to shift individuals or larger groups and their interactions with each other? I wonder.