Second, curiosity re‑emerges. When people have time, they try new activities, revisit old hobbies, explore childhood curiosities, and start volunteering and connecting with people in their community. Edward, a friend and a doctor who has taken several sabbaticals, reflected that “new ideas often pop up and old topics of interest float back into my consciousness. I find myself writing notes and thinking more freely. This is the creative process, liberated by the neocortex now that the mind isn’t wholly occupied by the strain of everyday sustenance, the rat race, and the grind.”84
