[082] 17 sparks of wonder from Nashville

Story #082

The Quiet Ones

Max J Miller

October 18, 2026

I promised to share more of my experience from the Story 26 event last week in Nashville. The themes of wonder, wow, and uncertainty as the fertile ground of creativity were woven beautifully and intentionally throughout every aspect of the event.

In the spirit of “Field Notes,” here are some brief highlights of things I heard that piqued my sense of wonder.

“Wonder is simply attention done completely.” — Simone Weil, as quoted by Kafi Pierre

“Wonder is a leadership posture, not a personality trait.” — Kafi Pierre

“Wonder fades when you carry it alone. We need people to help us activate the wow.” —Shane McKenzie

“You have to change a lot to stay the same.” — Jesse Oxford, referencing the Ship of Theseus thought experiment.

“Move at the speed of trust.” — Yoko Sen

“Culture is the shared arena where we process and pursue meaning through story.” — Paul Anleitner

“The void is not empty; it’s full of potential.” — Octavia Butler, quoted in the Story 26 Flight Manual (program guide)

“What if our present crisis of meaning is a story crisis?” — Paul Anleitner

“The wow moves forward with a healthy how. JPL was started by a couple of guys that were kicked out of CalTech for blowing things up. NASA saw them as ‘the right kind of crazy.'” — Paul Procter

“We accelerate from idea to impact by expanding the emotional investment and minimizing the critical assessment.” — Paul Procter

“Meaning is found amidst the mystery.” — John Bucher

“Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned.” —Simon Lythgoe

“The most effective stories get put to use by the audience.” — Rick Rekedal

“Act on beat; think off beat.” — The Gardiner Brothers

“Curiosity cuts through cynicism.” — Lillian Cunningham

“The world is more beautiful when you shine your light on others rather than yourself.” — Jeremy Cowart

“Creating magic starts with designing the effect.” — Harris III

What jumped out at you from these notes? It makes my week to hear from you.

Shine,

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