Just Joshin' (Issue #36 - What Is This?, Words, Best of 2022)
1 Family Photo: What Is This?
Lawrence, Upside-down (Luana, Right-side-up)
Lawrence's new favorite game is running around the house, pointing, and asking "O que é isso?" (what is this?)
His index finger pumps and recoils like a machinegun. O que é isso? O que é isso? O que é isso? And I call out copo (cup), prato (plate), colher (spoon). O que é isso? mesa (table). O que é isso? mamãe (mommy).
Giddy laughter rolls through his body. I don't know if he's asking me or testing me now. He knows the words. He answers on his own if I repeat his question back to him.
Richard Feynman wrote an essay about how his father inspired his curiosity. Parsing the difference between knowing the name of something and actually knowing it:
(I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.)
I reflected on that when Lawrence was a month old. It feels like a lifetime ago.
May 16th 2021
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As Calvin and Lawrence grow, I hope to stoke the fires of their curiosities. I hope they will grow yearning to know things deeply, never satisfied with simply knowing their names.
1 Dad Joke: Words
After I told Calvin, we jumped around the house like frogs. Or maybe it was bunnies.
Highlights: Best of 2022
My 2022 goal was to spend more time consuming meaningful things. Less time mindlessly scrolling social media.
It was semi-successful. There's room for improvement in 2023.
Deleting social media apps and downloading the Matter App on my phone helped a lot. Recommended.
Best 5 Essays I Read in 2022:
1. Does My Son Know You? by Jonathan Tjarks
2. I'm a U.S. Veteran. I Went to Ukraine to Train Civilian Volunteers to Fight. by Matt Gallagher
3. The Three Sides of Risk by Morgan Housel
4. Good Conversations Have Lots of Doorknobs by Adam Mastroianni
5. Reality Has a Surprising Amount of Detail by John Salvatier
Best 3 Comedy Specials I watched in 2022:
1. Ali Saddiq: The Domino Effect (YouTube)
2. Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder by (HBO Max)
3. Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy (Netflix)
Best Book I Read in 2022:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
On to the New Year, and for many more!
iamJoshKnox
Anything in this article resonate? Did something specific stand out or remind you of something else?
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Josh Knox
Hi! I am Josh Knox. Read more of me here: 👇
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