Thursday, January 16, 2025
Maybe it is simply the beginning of a new year and the chance it provides to start anew, but it seems I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately regarding personal growth. Now, that may seem silly to many of you: a man of my nearly 70 years of age sitting around contemplating his shortcomings and lack of knowledge about the world around him. Wouldn’t time be better spent enjoying the fruits of my labors and reflecting on the past? Is there still time left in life to reflect and consider how to “grow?” Why trouble myself?
I have seen people reach a certain age and more or less give up on learning or experiencing new things. They fail to take the personal challenges before them to become better people. Perhaps they have spent their lives working hard, getting their kids raised, and in the last trimester of life their interest seems to be better focused on retirement and leisure than on taking on new tasks. Are they just tired? Have the obligations of life worn them down to the point that the thought of climbing another “hill” simply seems too daunting?
On New Years Day, I thought about some of the many areas where I have little or no expertise.
I can only speak one language. There are literally hundreds of languages around the world, and for some reason I have chosen to be fluent in only one. I can speak a little Spanish, meaning I can ask where the “bano” is, if I can have “uno more cerveza,” and question a pretty senorita if she would like to dance, but I cannot carry on a complete conversation. With Spanish seemingly becoming the second language in the U.S., wouldn’t it be wise to learn how to speak it? Wouldn’t I feel good about myself mastering a second language and feeling comfortable when I am in Mexico if I could carry on a reasonable conversation with the locals?
I love music. Something about live music touches my soul and gives me a great deal of joy. I have had the pleasure of producing some wonderful musical shows and working with terrific nationally-acclaimed entertainers, but I cannot play an instrument. I learned to play the horn a little when I was in grade school, but I became so enamored with sports that I left the idea of being in band by the wayside. While I loved the time spent playing ball, what I wouldn’t give to now know how to play the piano, the guitar, or the fiddle. Not saying I want to be so proficient that I can perform professionally, just capable enough that I could sit on my porch and play music for my own entertainment and pleasure. Shouldn’t I learn how to play something before my hands have lost all dexterity and it is impossible for me to do so?
Though I am an educated man, I have never truly understood electricity. Every time I work with it, I get stuck, stung, or snagged! To begin with, I am colorblind, which is a real disadvantage in the world of electricity, but, secondly, I simply do not understand it. Yes, I know about volts, and amps, and appreciate the concept of “grounding,” but it seems every time I get near an electrical problem, I am dead wrong in my assumptions as to what is wrong and how to fix it. Since most of the world is run by electricity, shouldn’t I know more about how it works and functions than simply walking over and turning on the switch?
Most of my life has been lived right smack dab in the middle of the age of computerization. I had to learn to type and then to have at least a rudimentary understanding of how a computer works, meaning how to send and receive emails, attach files, download and store materials, and utilize software. Though I use a computer every single day, I have never invested the time to become truly competent in its operation. I am pretty sure computers are only going to become more and more a part of our lives. If I am going to live in the computer age, wouldn’t it be beneficial to know as much about them as possible so the experience would be as positive as possible?
There are a lot of things for all of us to learn, to better understand, and to appreciate. Our lives all come to end, but how we live the days and years we have can either be spent wasting away and crying out in frustration in what we do not know, or it can be enriched by learning all that we can. The truth is, school is never over and there is always more homework to do, unless you want to finish the race and never really know and understand the course you have run. We should never stop learning, growing and evolving, for that is what makes living worthwhile.
Thought for the day: There are two educations; one teaches us how to make a living, and the other teaches us how to live.
Until next time ... I will keep ridin’ the storm out!
