I
have recently retired from forty years of teaching. It was a rewarding forty years, and I have to admit my job defined me. Most people look at retirement as the ending
of something, but I see it as the opportunity to embrace something new in my life. I don’t
expect to stop teaching. At some point, after the wonder of having whole days
to do nothing or to do whatever I want, I expect to either tutor, find a part-time
job, or volunteer as a teacher. Teaching
is a skill set I have no intention of letting go of.
But
I am also an avid learner and a writer. So, three weeks ago I took a deep
breath and stepped away from my teacher desk, walked out the door of my school,
and took the plunge into the next adventure in life. I’m still figuring out
what shape that adventure will take, but poking around, I have come across some
interesting guideposts. One of those guideposts is by a
blogger I have only just discovered: her name is Maria Popova and her blog is
called Brain Pickings.
From
what I gather, Ms. Popova contacted a few friends in 2006 announcing her intention
to start “a weekly digest featuring five stimulating things to learn about each
week.” Apparently her Brain Pickings
became so popular that her readership grew from the few friends to over a
million readers from all over the world. I, of course, am generally late to the
party, so it looks like I have nine years of Brain Pickings to catch up on. But I look forward to exploring Ms. Popova’s backposts.
What
first caught my attention, however, was an entry from October of 2013 titled, “7 Things I Learned in 7 Years of Reading, Writing, and Living.” In this short
essay, Ms. Popova explained that she is often asked
to offer advice to young people who are just beginning their own voyages of
self-discovery, or to “those reorienting their calling at any stage of life.” That
would be me! And while she doesn’t like to use the word “advice” she does
offer these seven tidbits of “learning.” Here they are in the short version:
- Allow yourself the uncomfortable luxury of changing your mind.
- Do nothing for prestige or status or money or approval alone.
- Be generous.
- Build pockets of stillness into your life.
- When people try to tell you who you are, don’t believe them.
- Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity
- Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time.
Maria Popova also lists her seven favorite Brain Pickings posts, which provide a good starting point for exploring her blog, the first of which is the intriguing sounding “The Art of Looking: What 11Experts Teach Us about Seeing Our Familiar City Block with New Eyes.” I am off to read that one. Perhaps you will, too?
Let me know in the comments if you find one or more of her posts that particulary speak to you. I'd love to hear from you!
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