Hmm, what do you know?

“Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” ~ Abigail Adams

Quick!  Name three new things that you have learned in the past week.  I’m waiting… 

Some weeks, we can respond to this query at a second’s notice.  At other times, it might not be such a easy task.  Where are you on this spectrum today?  

My professional life has been spent in education.  I have always loved to read and to learn. As a young adult it simply made sense to embrace those characteristics when choosing my career path.  As I matured, I came to the realization that my role in the life of young people was so much greater than simply “teaching” them the content of a class.  Encouraging curiosity, and providing students with the tools to seek out new, relevant information for themselves, could empower them to pursue learning on their own.  My childhood librarian, Carrie, knew this.  It’s what led her to hand six-year-old me books about topics spanning geography, history, art and others, in addition to enriching my imagination with plenty of fiction thrown into the mix.  Hopefully, the more mature version of me as a teacher has inspired many young people to seek knowledge for its own sake as well.

As you can imagine, I find myself with a lot of time on my hands these days.  Of course, there are the usual household chores to complete - there are always dishes and laundry to be done, right?  But, I want my time to be spent on something more meaningful.  While I’m homebound, I still want to find ways to make a difference in our world as well as learning new things for my personal growth.  As the quote reminds us, those opportunities don’t just appear.  The beneficiary must seek them out.  

I bet you’re all waiting with baited breath to know what I’ve decided to learn.  Am I right or is this a narcissistic dream?  I don’t know, but I am going to share with you anyway1. 😜. I’m learning a few new things.  I’ve found that I greatly enjoy watercolor painting.  There are many tutorials and even free courses available on YouTube so I’m spending a little time every few days on that.  Right now, it’s very basic:  learning how the water and colors interact both in single colors and in mixes, and investigating the way the different brushes can affect the flow of the paint onto the paper.  Perhaps it sounds boring to you, but I’m enjoying it.  I hope to paint something that I can share with others that brings joy and beauty to them.

Additionally, if I had a trip planned in the near future, I would spend time learning all I could about the destination(s).  Since I don’t (insert DEEP sigh and 😭) I’ve decided to investigate a country that I’ve never visited.  I’m currently learning about Belize.  While Jim and I have visited some Central American countries, this is one we have yet to see.  So, it has become the object of my learning.

Finally, I’m improving my crocheting skills.  I can make potholders and scarves, but those are simple lines and squares.  My new focus is on making beanies for babies.  I was asked to do this by one of Emma’s friends.  She works at a birthing center.  They used to send each baby home with a beanie, but the lady who made them has stopped doing so.  Rylee asked me to learn to make them and send as many along as I can.  I love this idea.  It combines me learning a new skill with the opportunity to do something for our community.

So, I’ll ask my question again:  Name three new things that you have learned in the past week.  My challenge to you today:  Consider the things you have been learning.  Do they serve a purpose that is empowering you or improving your world?  With those as goals, what shape will learning take for you in the near future?