Slow progress. I’ve advanced one chapter in the calculus book, stumbled through Fat Chance before my free access was cut off, and made it about halfway through my repeat of the Python course. Then I accidentally enrolled in the data science programming course when trying to look up some information on what it was all about. Oops. My only option is to forge ahead in the hope that I’ll finish as much as possible before my access is cut off on March 26. “Jump before you’re ready,” etc.
In other news, I just joined a community band that (surprise!) will be traveling to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania this summer. So I’ve doubled down on practicing, trying to keep in mind that I do not have to be as good as the people in my section who’ve been playing the clarinet consistently for 40+ years.
Speaking of which, I’ve recently noticed the trend that I am one of the youngest people in the room when participating in my interests. Not because I’m particularly precocious, but because I’m interested in things often associated with older–read, “retired”–folks: the Master Gardener Volunteer Program (and volunteering in general), crafting, group tours, and community bands. Even though I’m decades from being eligible for Medicare, currently adrift in middle age, I appreciate their perspectives. They help me prepare for what’s next.
I’ve heard plenty about knee and hip replacements. Rounds of cancer treatment. Heart attacks. Rotator cuff surgeries. Caring for one’s sick or dying parents and siblings. Dealing with estates. These challenges come up for many people at one time or another. But listening to those who’ve been through them makes facing them seem less terrifying. I had my own existential crisis back in 2017, and anything that helps shine a light in the darkness is welcome.
It’s not all bleak. As a lifelong learner, I enjoy hearing about Road Scholar and OLLI, which I’ll likely be trying out as soon as I’m old enough. I’m also learning to play American mahjong, even though it’s not quite my thing, because I enjoy the socializing. Still, if I join a pickleball league, you’ll know it’s gone too far. (I’ve played pickleball once, with my brother and sister-in-law, and I fell over backward after trying to run and keep my eye on the ball at the same time. I think my ponytail saved me from a concussion.)
Children look up to those who are older, and so do I. Though I may not be in as much of a hurry to grow up as I once was, at least I have less anxiety about what will happen along the way.
What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned from someone significantly older than yourself?
Listening: Fifty Beasts to Break your Heart by GennaRose Nethercott
Reading: James by Percival Everett and Crafting the Personal Essay by Dinty W. Moore
Drinking: English Rose (tea) from Whittard of Chelsea (purchased in Covent Garden, London) and Eldfjalla Te (Volcanic Tea) from Islensk Hollusta (purchased in Iceland–I’m drinking my souvenirs)
Numberless Dreams 