Take a class

I have never been one to sit still.

Years ago, when my schedule was close to insane and there was no down time at all, I was still bored. I had plenty to do. What I meant by bored was "Okay, I get it. Now what else can I do?"

It was a strange kink in my personality and it probably served me well. Whatever the job or the hobby, I tried to master everything I could and then went looking for the next hurdle. A little obsessive, probably. But nothing excited me more than learning something new, and I hated it when I could not figure something out.

If the computer gave me trouble, I looked up the answer. If I needed to know how to do something, YouTube would teach me. There was no time for a class at night, so I learned in the wee hours instead, when everyone else was asleep. Researching something new at that hour was almost meditative. My mind had one thing to focus on and nothing to pull it away.

Now and then I wondered if I should slow down. Then something else would catch my eye. I wanted to learn every discipline of yoga. I wanted the latest bestseller the week it came out.

The world is full of things to learn. Don't just sit there. Do something.

School has changed

If school bored you, it might be time to try again. You can take a class in nearly anything now. Car repair and detailing, cooking, decorating, feng shui, massage, and a great deal more. If you can name it, there is probably a class for it.

There are more ways to learn than there have ever been. Evening and weekend classes are still out there. So are webinars, ebooks and whole YouTube channels on a single subject. You can study by correspondence, in a group, or one to one with a tutor.

After 50, a lot of us finally have the evenings for it. Nobody needs a ride anywhere. Nobody needs help with their homework. The time is yours.

What have you always wanted to do?

Play golf? Sew? Do yoga? Study philosophy?

Write it down. Then go and find the class.

The feeling you get from learning something new is exhilarating, and it does not wear off with age. If you have a case of the blahs, a class is a very good way to turn them into ahas.

From the archive. First written for my journal years ago, and rewritten for life after 50.