"Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all."

I have not been this cold in a very long time.  I can barely type.  In fact, I can't really, very well.  I'm making lots of mistakes that will be corrected (hopefully) before you ever read this.  But with the cold comes a sense that the air is somehow cleaner and fresher.

Is it?  It's denser so there may be more oxygen in it so it may actually be a little sweeter.  But noticeably?  Hmmm.  Oh, the odd crevices that I find to explore.  I'm going to have to look that up.  See if anyone has done a study on it.  Do you chase threads like that down?

Or at least ponder them?

You should.  Life's wonderfully exciting when you hold on to that curiosity of youth – the curiosity that led Tom into the cave.  I'm sure what's curious to me is not curious to you, and that doesn't matter.  What's important is that you keep exploring.  The path will suggest ideas, it will force you to stretch your mind, and you'll...

Ponder.

And pondering is very, very good.  Not being stuck on something, not stewing, not fixating.  Pondering.  As in, considering all angle of a thing.  What it is, how it is, where it came from, where it's going, and then going beyond what's obvious into nuance.  From what is, to what if?

I love being presented with an alternate view of things.  It teaches me to be a bigger person.