Hedgehogs and Life Goals

au·to·di·dact

ˌôdōˈdīdakt/

noun

1. a self-taught person.

A few years ago I'd never heard the word autodidact. Then I read Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. The jury is still out on whether anyone else would like the book. I recommended it to a bookclub I'm in, and most everyone somewhat hated it. 

It's a quirky read, but it's still one of my all time favorite books about Renee, the gifted undercover concierge, and Palmona, a twelve year old gifted kid who has given up on life. 

Don't we all like books where we feel like we could just step into the pages and be the heroine? 

Is there a girl out there who hasn't, at some point in her life, wanted to be Anne Shirley, all the way to the carrot red hair and freckles? Didn't we all want to be Nancy Drew, just for a day, to discover what was the secret of the old clock?*

Some years ago a friend and I were chatting about what we were doing, and I mentioned that I was studying ancient history. Because I wanted to know. This friend told me if I continued to pursue such odd hobbies pretty soon we'd have more that separated us than kept us together. I doubt this friend remembers this conversation, but I do. 

And I'm still studying Ancient history. 

I'm not sure if this sort of weird bent I have is due to being a really lousy student when I was  in school, or if it's just in my genes to be a lifelong learner. My mother had a very poor education, and dropped out of school after she finished eighth grade, to marry my father. Throughout her life she managed to pass a GED, go to junior college and get an associates degree, then go on to a university and get a bachelor of arts in psychology, then she got her LPN license. All with very little encouragement from anyone, and going mostly on sheer will and determination not to fail. A month before she was moved into Alzheimer's care she was reading a non-fiction book about some past president. Because she could not grasp the material she kept at it, going over and over the pages, frustrated that she couldn't absorb it. Her deep desire to learn never left her.

I have a deep yearning to learn all the things I didn't when I should have and all the things I now realize I don't know. I go outside every night to let the dog out, look up at the stars and think, 'I wonder about the planets.' 'I wonder about the galaxies.' I wonder how the seasons change with the rotating of the earth around the sun.' When we're traveling across the country and I see mountains and cliffs I wonder about geology. I want to listen to music by the classic composers; I want to know about them, their lives. The list of what I want to learn continues to grow.

Nine years ago I bought a book called 'The Well-trained Mind' by Susan Wise Bauer. It provides the guidelines for educating a child through a system called The Trivium. The Trivium is a classical education system of teaching children through a three part pattern; being supplied with facts, then given the logical tools for organizing those facts, then equipping to express conclusions. All studies are based around four periods of history, ancient, medieval through early renaissance, late renaissance through early modern, and modern times.

If you're lost at this point, that's okay. Classical education may not be your thing. Education may not be your thing. And studying ancient history in your sixties may seem pretty out there too. I'm okay with that. But me - I'd venture to say my friend was wrong, and I can study stuff a little out of the ordinary, and still go out for Girl's night to watch the latest Mama Mia. 

If you ARE at all intrigued, here's an example. I'm currently reading Quo Vadis, a narrative of the time of Nero, by Henryk Sienkiewicz with a bookclub I belong to. The story is about the fall of the Roman Empire and the agony of being a Christian from AD 54-68. So while I'm reading this book, I'm also studying Roman history, early Christianity, doing side studies on Nero, and finding all the geographical references on a world map. I am better able to understand the story if I know something about Nero, about the rise and fall of Rome and I'll have a much deeper appreciation for the freedom I have as a Christ follower today, knowing what my earlier counterparts suffered for their faith. 

This fall, my plans are to study the solar system, reading books and using an app on my phone called Skyview Lite. (very cool app, if you have kids or grandkids check it out!) I'm going to study ancient history, and take piano lessons. Hopefully by January I will have advanced to the next phase of history, where I can study about the Knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood, etc. I'll read books written during that period of history, about that period of history, etc. 

We all have personal bents. Unlike me, you may have actually applied yourself during the 12 years you went to school, and further if you attended college. I heard James Dobson on the radio a few months ago, describing the struggle parents have dealing with what he called 'a gifted underachiever.' It rang such a bell with me, that was me to a T! Some of you out there may have taken the same path I did, not applying yourself in school, graduating and immediately going to work at a desk job and getting married. By the time I realized there was so much I wanted to learn we were putting three kids through college, so going myself didn't seem terribly practical or financially smart either. I didn't really want a career at that point, I just wanted to know stuff. 

In my sixth decade, I can look back and think about what I'd change about my life if I could. I'd be on the swim team. I'd wear my hair to the side instead of parted down the middle. I'd go to all the school dances, but not date anyone. I'd sign up to be on the yearbook.  I'd keep taking piano lessons. I'd apply myself, graduate with honors and go to college. I'd get a degree in either English Literature or Art and teach at the jr. college level because I believe I could relate to many of those kids  who don't believe in themselves yet and need a lot of encouragement to do something with their lives rather than graduate from high school, get a desk job and get married.

I can't go back. None of us can. But I can move forward and still do the things I should have done before. Nobody can say for certain whether C. S. Lewis or Les Brown said:

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. 

Whoever they were, they were right. If you have any interest in, like me, making up for lost time, or for encouraging someone who needs a little direction, check out www.welltrainedmined.com. Or do a google search and find some other website, because there's so much that's available now on the internet and most of it is absolutely free.

And for a really reasonable price you can access Great Courses (www.greatcourses.com and www.greatcoursesplus.com) and study whatever makes your heart sing. It's such a big, wonderful world out there, with so much to discover. I'm a big believer in living a balanced life, which for me means singing along with Mama Mia and a little studying on the side.

*If you haven't ever read Nancy Drew, they're still at the library, still with the yellow spine. I reread the very first one a few years ago, and it was such a delight to revisit.