As the mother of a six-year-old boy, my days, more often than not, begin with questions. Our son has a habit of bounding into our bed around six each morning and awakening us with something like this: “Who would win in a fight–Batman or the Incredible Hulk? Which is beautifuler–a sunset or a rainbow?” (see the new blog, My Year of Questions).

Many of his questions begin with why: “Why haven’t scientists figured out how to turn sand into time? Why do kids sometimes act like your friend and sometimes growl at you?” And then there are the ifs, which are often posed as a test of my love: “If you had to choose between the whole world getting eaten up in a black hole or me being dead, which would you choose?”

It has recently occurred to me that it has been a long time since I asked big questions and truly pondered the answers. One of my favorite lines in literature comes from Walker Percy’s novel The Moviegoer: “To become aware of the possibility of a search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.” A search by its very nature inspires growth. What is a search if not a series of questions, one building upon the next?

So, in the spirit of not acting my age–in the spirit of acting, indeed, like my six-year-old son–I have decided, beginning now, to start asking questions. As of today, I am embarking on a search. I will tell you straight out of the gate that I have no idea what I’m searching for. While I haven’t quite pinned down the purpose of the search, I have decided upon a method: a question a week, every week, for a year. Because I believe that the best discoveries often happen in unexpected places, I’m placing no limitations on the kinds of questions I ask. They will run the gamut from personal to political, scientific to metaphysical, spiritual to secular. I will share my questions and answers on my new blog, My Year of Asking Questions, and my sincere hope is that my questions will inspire you to ask, and answer, your own. The comments section is always open. Let the year of asking questions begin..

Go here to read this post in full. And please bookmark and share the URL of my new blog, My Year of Asking Questions: http://myyearofoquestions.michellerichmond.com.