Working on my ukulele skills!
Last week, I helped my son move into his new apartment off campus. We found a desk, a book shelf, a bureau for clothes and a soft blue “Papasan” or Dish Chair he can read in when he needs a break from his computer. He has been gearing up for another year of study and learning and wanted to make his room comfortable and cozy for the academic year ahead.
As we stacked his new text books on his bookshelf, I was struck by the diversity of subjects and titles. My son is studying mechanical and biomedical engineering and so there were several hefty textbooks, including one on astrophysics. Sprinkled in with his science and math texts, there was Shakespeare, Hemingway and Descartes for the humanities classes that make-up part of his engineering major. As I placed the books on the shelf, I found myself day dreaming about my own college days, and remembered that feeling of anticipation about learning so many new subjects each fall as a new semester began.
I've always loved learning and the autumn season seems to bring out that yearning. As kids gear up for school, I often feel compelled to find something new to learn or experience and to exercise my brain again, after a long summer of being outdoors and reading more for pleasure.
Learning feels like a natural part of the fall season. As the days get shorter and the nights become cooler, I find myself drawn to new challenges. Perhaps the rhythm of school still lies deep inside each of us. For me, it is triggered by the sight of the yellow school bus in our neighborhood, the sudden surge of college students on our local campus, and the changing of seasons and the invitation of fall.
So, what will you learn this fall season? I'm drawn to a stack of books on my office shelf, an online class that has captured my attention and a new training I'd like to develop for work. In my personal life, I'm ready to complete my certification as an Emergency Medical Responder, which will help with my local volunteer work. And, I want to learn to play the ukulele that sits on the wall in my loft.
Ambitious? Perhaps. But, even if I focus my attention on one of these areas I know that I will begin to move the gears of learning and my brain will thank me for it. As for my heart and soul, well, I do notice there is less time for worry when I am learning, less time for regret. Learning something new plants me smack dab in the present and fills me with a deep sense of satisfaction. And that must be good for our well-being, right?
What will you declare as your learning for the fall season? I hope it is something that inspires you and feeds your heart, mind and soul.
--Dawn