Constant Learning in Action

“Learning a little every day soon puts you far behind whoever’s learning a lot every day.” Ashleigh Brilliant

It’s snowing again, for the SEVENTH week in a row, and the high temperature today will be 20˚. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we are all sick of this nasty weather, yet we are becoming strangely acclimated. The cold and snow don’t keep us from doing what we want to do.

Yesterday, which was cold but sunny, I had my final birthday lunch of the year. My birthday was three weeks ago, but this was the first time my friend Sheila and I had been able to get together. We met at a Thai restaurant in south central Denver, and she gave me a bookstore gift card—a GREAT gift for a book junkie like me.

Last night I started teaching a writing class at the university. One of my students, Martin Kaufman, owns OrthoPets, a company that manufactures custom orthotic and prosthetic devices for pets. It’s been several months since I last had Martin in class and in that time he has moved the business out of his garage and hired his first employees. He used his UOP classes in a very smart way. In almost every class, he used his growing business as the subject of his class projects, learning how to apply his new knowledge directly to his business. Improving his writing skills will help him to write clear emails to his customers in other parts of the world.

Although he graduates next month, I’m sure he will continue to learn and grow throughout his life. For some people, lifelong learning is more than a nice concept; it’s a way of life.

©2007 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved