It seems the media is finally taking note that a number of us in the last half of our lives (boy does that phrase make me feel old) enjoy life-long learning.
The front page of our local paper highlighted a man close to 90 who is graduating with his PhD. He says the young students like to joke with him about when is he going to stop being so lazy and finish school and get a job. This man had to leave high school to work and help support his family. During his married life, he started taking part-time courses and completed his Bachelor and Masters degrees.
Another paper had an extensive article about the number of seniors, many in nursing homes, who have embraced life-long learning. From the 91-year-old who has found she has a talent for painting, to the 60-year-old who is learning to use the computer to keep in touch with family by email and on Facebook – seniors everywhere are in learning mode.
I’m glad to see that the media is beginning to realize that just because a person gets older doesn’t mean he or she changes their interests. If I didn’t enjoy playing bingo or knitting before, I most certainly don’t want to start now! And not every older person has nothing on their minds except travelling. Even if they did, they might not have anything in their pockets to do it with.
Learning doesn’t depend on how much time or money, or even health, you have. And no matter what your interests, there is always more to learn. For instance, you can never learn enough about how a woman’s mind works. Just when you think you know, she’ll decide to change it. As for a man’s mind, I wouldn’t know where to start learning about my husband’s!
Lest I get distracted here, wondering why my husband needs to leave a trail to show where he’s been, I encourage you to keep learning. Pick up a good book – even fiction can teach you something, especially historical fiction. Do a puzzle, play scrabble, learn the computer. Whatever gets your mind in gear – even if it’s watching the house across the street (I’ve come up with all kinds of story plots to explain their behavior).
Then let me know about your accomplishments, however small, and I’ll share them with the world. Whoever said old age was boring is still too young to enjoy it!
