Once, for example, I had draw two circles - representing 24 hour clocks. In the first, I was to graphically show how much time I would like to spent doing various activities in my life... In the second, I was to draw my reality - how my time was really being spent. If I remember correctly, the activity was designed to get me to reflect on changes I might have to make to live a less stressed life.
This time, a book entitled St. Benedict's Toolbox, asked me to quickly write an answer to the questions: Who am I? and What is going on in my life?
Who am I? As I quickly jotted down: wife, mother, friend, neighbor - quilter...
...gardener, traveler...
...potter, painter...
I realized that the list was longer than it would have been a few years ago. Deep within me was a desire to pick up threads of latent interests that time had not permitted me to pursue at other stages of life.
In my 20s I remember telling a potter that I had always wanted to learn to use the wheel. I'm surprised, in retrospect, that I didn't take a class earlier in life. But I didn't - until last year, in my retirement.
How wonderful that our bodies may slow down, but our inner dreams don't die! They are part of who we are! How wonderful to keep learning new things!
Will I run out of things I will want to learn?! I don't know - but for now, I'm still a "lifelong learner."
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