J. L. Stephens, Guest Writer

A few weeks ago, my husband and I loaded 3-year-old Axel in the car for a day trip to St. Paul. Hailing from that capital city myself, I look forward to each return. This time of year always reminds me of watching the Taste of Minnesota fireworks, shot from Harriet Island and brilliantly visable from my bedroom window.

As we drove along, stopping and going, pausing life for an intersection I refer to as "Division Street meets Running Late," it came to my attention nearly every time we pass, pause or approach a neighboring car I couldn't help but glance left or right. Is it an innate curiosity that begged me to check out my passing neighbor? Curiously enough, most times I found myself looking through a car window there was a strange face looking right back.

I called to memory all the drivers I'd ridden with and the many miles I had covered in my lifetime. It seems to me certain drivers refrain from gawking and remain attentive to their own lane. Are these individuals less curious? Or more focused?

Along I-94 I conducted my own study called, "What type of gazes do I meet?" Being a student of science, I mentally jotted down my variables. Did the passing cars have intention to change lanes? Did my car appear flashy? Have I caused some sort of noise as I merged to pass? Was my kid making faces in the back seat? Basically, I calculated the level of spectacle I presented to neighboring travelers. If for some reason I gave them reason to look, then it wasn't an unconscious – or just plain curious – glance
OK, there were way too many variables, but the general conclusion I came to is this: the amount of roadway curiosity was somehow related to age (the younger generation peeping more often), and altogether corresponded to whether I passed the passenger or the driver. So, what do our questioning minds hope to find at 70 mph?

I may be completely off-tilt on this, and it's likely that no answer exists, but it didn't stop me from consulting the classics on the matter of curiosity. According to Voltaire, an enlightened philosopher of the 18th Century, one should, "Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."

As there are many measures of curiosity, this simple over-the-road example intrigued me both heading east and on our return trip toward the sunset. We hit Sartell city limits once again near dusk. Any peeping passengers might have said we appeared worse for wear, a family of tired, sunburned individuals, driving a pigpen of a Camry. We dropped off our car just in time to walk over to the SummerFest fireworks. Cuddled on the blanket, Axel was ready to close his eyes when the first crack followed by a burst of light led him to ask, "Mom, how do the firemen make the fireworks?"

It's curious what catches each of our curiosities, but according to Voltaire, all that matters is that they exist.