Explore the World -- In and Out of School

Every morning for the past week or so, I have awakened to crisp autumn air that makes me think of leaves crackling underfoot, of a sugar-dusting of frost on my car as winter begins, of sweaters and soft warm socks replacing T-shirts and flip-flops, of spiders and mice making their annual migration indoors — and school starting.

In the store, shelves and racks of school supplies are on display for all to see. Although I don’t usually love autumn (it’s too close to winter for my liking), I think there’s a special charm in this part of the year — in being able to flip through fresh blue-lined pages of a college-ruled notebook, lining up my “new” textbooks on the shelf or picking out highlighters, pencils, pens, markers, crayons and colored pencils.

So even as I feel winter snickering at me behind every rustling leaf, this time of year also heralds the opportunity to learn something new and meet new people.

Oh, school is frustrating and even excruciatingly painful at times. There are difficult subjects, overwhelming responsibilities, too little time, boring or frustrating assignments and homework — and who can forget about timed tests?

But as much as the thought of those things can make my heart (and motivation) sink straight down to my toes, I still hold that there is something exciting about learning. And I intend to pursue that joy as long as I can, and to see it as a joy and not always a burden. Because therein lies the fun.

One year ago was the first autumn I could remember not attending classes, and I was actually somewhat relieved about that. But I still had plans to resume school within the next year or so and even took the GRE to explore my options.

This year, that dream seems to lie ever further away, and that makes me a little wistful. I miss shopping for textbooks and school supplies, arranging my calendar and preparing to meet my professors and classmates.

But although that dream is deferred to some distant day in the future, with the onset of the school year comes other opportunities — opportunities to learn new things, to create art, to teach and even to travel.

It is for this reason that I am adopting a challenge this fall.

We often do New Year’s resolutions starting on Jan. 1 because that’s a good place to stop and reevaluate and start anew. But I think the beginning of the school year is another excellent opportunity.

For me, as an English major, I love literature. I love reading and writing about what I read and talking about what I read. But for the last year or so, I haven’t always read the best-quality literature — certainly not to the standard of some of what I read for my favorite classes.

So my goal this autumn is to create my own syllabus of sorts. It’s not going to be as rigorous as an actual class, and that’s OK. But I have a reading list I want to start chipping through, including a lot of classics.

I also intend to learn more about music, starting by transcribing and arranging some of my favorite pieces so I can play and record them, and I would also like to learn more about history in the British Isles, art, writing and much more.

Maybe I’ll even polish up my poor Spanish ability with Duolingo, or learn the basics of some other language like Welsh or German, or if I’m feeling really crazy, maybe I’ll do something with math again — maybe geometry!

Lifelong learning isn’t confined to the walls of a school or the limitations of even online classes designed by others. It’s something everyone can pursue in one way or another.

If you are already in school, find something every day to get excited about learning, even if you have to find it yourself. But really, there is something interesting in nearly every class; you just have to find something you actually care about instead of seeing it as something a teacher or parent cares about.

If you’re not in school, consider pursuing a hobby where you make something or learn something or give to someone else.

And not all learning has to be expensive; the library, for instance, holds whole worlds within the covers of its books, movies and audiobooks. You can find how-to books or whodunit books and movies, literature from ancient Babylon or from the current year, textbooks, study guides for things like the ACT, movies, music of all types, maps, magazines, games and so much more.

Do you want to learn a new language? Get a free Duolingo account. A new instrument? You can find teachers in town, or you can even make music with something as simple as rubber bands, balloons or glasses of water. (Don’t believe me? Go look up MysteryGuitarMan on YouTube). You can learn how to cook new dishes, create art, do magic tricks and much more.

You can even go on small adventures, either every day or once a week or whenever you want. Go on a walk. Find a new music genre. Notice something new as you go to work.

But this time of year is the perfect time to find renewed joy in learning and exploring. So I invite everyone to smell that crisp autumn air, listen to the rustle of the leaves, watch the changing colors and find the youthfulness of the dying year with me.