A Life Less Ordinary

Last night I spent several hours with someone that I consider very wise. And I don't mean the grizzled old man idea of wise. This is a woman who always seems to have such insight into things. She is very knowledgeable about so many different topics. She has a way of getting down to what really matters in the eternal scheme of things. I, on the other hand, seem to be very shallow. Whether it's reading the Bible or other books, watching movies, discussing politics or any other subject, I'm quite content with what is on the surface. It's not that I'm avoiding the deeper meaning, it's just that it never occurs to me that there might be one.
How do I train my mind to look beyond the surface? How do I learn to approach things in a way that they're not just for the entertainment value? I'm not saying everything I do or say or read has to have some lesson or meaning. But if I'm going to fill my head with all this stuff anyway, shouldn't I make sure that it's something that I can draw from later? I don't have a problem with books or movies whose primary goal is just to entertain--brain candy, if you will. But it's not enough to sustain. If my purpose is to love and honor God and strive to be like Jesus, then I should always be on the lookout for those little nuggets of insight that He shares with us. He can use anything in life to teach us and guide us and I want to make sure I don't miss it.