In reading a review of the book, Beginners, I was delighted by the whole concept, particularly the sub-title "The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning". The author, Tom Vanderbilt, relates to us the things he has learned which have brought him joy. He took singing lessons and sang with a choir; he learned to surf, taking his whole family to Costa Rica for this endeavor; he learned to juggle, draw, and create jewelry. Tom isn't looking for something to crow about on social media, but rather he wants skills he can relax into and slowly develop over his lifetime. He says, "It's about small acts of reinvention, at any age, that can make life seem magical." He's also interested in finding out more about the process of learning. He believes the key to learning new things is shifting the focus off yourself. For instance, juggling: you don't look at the balls, but rather the apex of where things are thrown. He has learned that time slows down when you stop thinking. He has found that doing these things brings him "an immense and almost forgotten kind of pleasure." I love the idea of learning new things, simply for the pleasure of learning them, don't you?
“It takes the whole of life to learn how to live..." ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
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