Never too late...

to learn something new.

This isn't a new theme on my blog, but it does seem to bear repeating. It is always good to learn something new, no matter what your age is. In fact, if you are older, it is probably even more important to learn something new. And if you are a teacher, well, if you are not learning something new regularly, it will become far to easy to forget what it feels like to struggle with a steep learning curve. It will keep you humble and have more empathy for your students.

My new things are riding, quilting, and learning Dutch.

Okay, the riding isn't brand new, but it sure feels like it when you are using muscles you haven't  used for quite some time. It gets a bit better each week. I was a little afraid that I would be past the age of being able to really regain my riding skills, but I'm happy to report that at 52 years of age, I was jumping nearly two foot jumps today.

The quilting is a much easier learning curve. I have pretty good sewing skills, so the quilting is just learning the tricks specifically associated with this aspect of sewing. So far there has been nothing truly challenging about it. It's just a nice diversion.

And Dutch. I decided that I needed to have a least a basic understanding of the language if we were going to be in Amsterdam for six days. I hate the idea of traveling to a country and not knowing anything about the language. Even in Vietnam and China, I had a smattering of words. I'm starting out with a combination of DuoLingo, Pimsleur, and reading about grammar. There are no tones and that feels so... easy. I listen to the Pimsleur CD's and keep trying to focus on the tone a word is said with. Then I remember I don't need to worry about that and it makes me take a deep sigh of relief.

There are my current projects. What new things are you working on learning these days?

Comments

Sally said…
I'm taking tap dancing lessons to add to my intermediate abilities with clod dancing.
Sally said…
Whoops--- meant clog dancing. :)
Donna said…
Autism. Learning more so I can help more. :)
Oh quilting...one of my true loves, but too cold and too little decent fabric (and too puny of a sewing machine). Something to look forward to in my "retirement." lol
Rusulica said…
mines are yoga, weaving and filmmaking!
mary m said…
I checked out Babbel....it seems like a fun way to learn a
new language....it seems popular here on the west coast.
You have to pay for it, but it may be well worth your time.
mary m age 72
vancouver, wa.
Unknown said…
I wish you lived a bit closer. Our church has several families who speak Dutch. You can try seeing if you have a Christian Reformed church in your area. There is usually a large dutch influence. Maybe you can find someone to practice your Dutch with you.

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