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Learning - a path to joy
Do you like to learn? Do you like to be with people that are learning? Do you remember a time when you were learning and how much fun it was to be trying something new? We’ve tried to pin down exactly what it is
about learning that makes it so special.
Did you know that when you exercise your brain by learning that part of your brain actually grows? Each nerve ending is not exactly connected to the nerve next to it. Think of your brain endings, dendrites, as the
roots of a plant. You can have simple roots with a few branches or your dendrites can keep branching forever. Each time they branch, you have twice as many nerves as you did before and that gives you more than twice
as many neural connections. More than twice as many ways to connect your thoughts. Think of it as conversations between people. If there are two people then there is one connection. Sam and Robin can talk to each
other. If you add one more person, that’s like a nerve splitting, then now there are three connections possible. Sam can still talk to Robin - one. Sam can talk to Chris - two. Chris and Robin can talk - three. One
more person equals two more connections. Each time you grow a dendrite, the number of connections possible increases exponentially. Maybe it feels good to grow dendrites?
Concentrating is by definition being in the moment. Remember a time when you were immersed in what you were doing and didn’t hear someone call you or ask you a question? Remember a time when you were concentrating on
something and when you look up you are surprised how quickly the time has gone by? Being in the moment is what life is all about. There’s nothing you can do about the past. The future will be here when it’s here.
Enjoying life, this very moment of life, is all that’s really possible. Ever heard, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”? Is that your experience? Time flies when you concentrate too and so concentrating must be
fun. Concentrating is a way to be in the moment.
There are different kinds of learning. You can learn to cook or knit or play a card game or tennis. You can learn a new language or learn how a tool works. Learn how to sing or play a musical instrument. What is not
learning is watching TV and reading the newspaper. That’s getting information. You might store the information for later retrieval. Are you going to grow new cells to remember tomorrow’s weather? Do you have to
concentrate on a TV program? If you want the benefits of learning then you have to be trying something new that requires your full attention. Real learning is a stretch. Learning takes you places you haven’t
been before. We don’t know why it’s fun.
Try this:
Choose something you have always wanted to learn and learn it. Check a book out from the library. Make friends with someone who is involved in your chosen quest. Want to learn to knit? Find someone who knits and get
them to help you learn. If you are serious about learning, they will want to share their source of joy with you. Try a new recipe. Pick up the dictionary and learn a new word. Write the new word in your journal and
use it in conversation ‘till you know it. Learn a new word every day and your journal will keep you honest on if you really remember them. Do you remember the definition for the word you wrote on this day last month?
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