What makes me tick - or - use the word "ponder" in a sentence.

I read an interesting article in today's Sunday paper, The Eagle, called "A global teacher of 1,516 free lessons and counting"

This guy, Sal Khan, makes YouTube videos on all sorts of different topics such as math, history and science.

In the article he is quoted as follows:

I just ponder things until they're clear.

I have always said something similar to that about myself.  The question to ask about anybody is what makes them tick.  Most people tick to the status quo - what they think should be their motivation.  For most it's the pursuit of wealth or material objects, others it's their religion, or kids, or prestige and status.  For others, like me, it's none of that.  What makes us tick is something different, that is, we march to the beat of a completely different drummer.

When I went back for my Masters the usual reason most people figured was to help my career - you know, the pursuit of wealth.  Although that's a factor, that's not the real reason.  Nor was the desire to prove something about myself or to correct mistakes I made in my youth (although that was the motivator).

Instead it was really just my curiosity.  I like to understand things for no other reason than to understand them.  And for this reason, when or if I am ever asked to describe myself in one sentence, I will tell them:

I am curious; I ponder things until I can understand them.