Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something, which can include facts, information, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge
Free from the need to take classes leading to a degree or that enhance my understanding of how to do a job better, now that I am After Fifty I can choose what I want to study and learn. I can take a class about something that has always intrigued me and not worry about passing or failing. No need to take copious notes that will assure a good grade in an exam. Now I can go to a class where I can really listen and think about the instructor’s comments.
As I reflect on my gifts this Thanksgiving season, I realize that the freedom to choose what and how I will study is a tremendous benefit for which I am extremely grateful. I’m also delighted to have found an environment where others are eager for on-going learning. My venue of choice is the Osher Life Long Learning Center at the University of Rhode Island because it’s near my home but primarily because the people who run the program and who give the classes are helpful, interesting and committed to providing the best possible experience to all who participate. The increased interest in learning among those who have left the full-time work force has fueled the development of Life Long Learning Centers at colleges and universities throughout the country. Libraries, too, often provide extraordinary classes and discussion groups you might want to check out.
How you decide to spend your time is purely personal, but it does seem that an increasing number of Boomers and Beyond are interested in increasing their knowledge of the world. The choice to explore technology, arts, crafts, music, literature, history, personal relations, medicine, religion or a host of other areas is limited only by your imagination. Learning is good; it keeps our minds active, it exposes us to younger people as we walk the same halls as colleges students, and it keeps our bodies active““which keeps us healthy.
Perhaps the best thank you gift we can give ourselves this holiday season is the gift of a class with our peers. What will you choose?
