Peter...what an interesting life! I consider myself a life-long learner in a different way. I went back to school at 51 after having been kicked out of high school at 15. I attended full time for 7 straight years, and had major brain surgery in between the 4th and 7th year. My love of learning won out over giving up. It gave me a "late in life" career, but now I'm retired. I'm 73 and have spent the last few years learning Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop in order to design and sell fabric. I also paint in watercolor and oil, and that also took learning. I take online classes in all sorts of subjects constantly. And, of course, I read...probably 3-6 books (mainly non-fiction at a time. I cannot get enough. People think I'm younger than I am and I think it's the curiosity and desire to learn that causes that more than anything. Great post!
Good work Linda, you’ve found the magic ingredient to make getting older better. I admire the way you’ve overcome adversity, that’s amazing! Keep going and don’t give up! As to my life, well there’s a lot more coming in my posts, I’m just getting started!
Thank you for your essay. I really enjoyed learning about your life and how your experiences have helped to shape your mindset towards learning. As an artist and educator, focused on process and self directed learning, this idea of continuous learning or life long learning is deeply connected to who I am and how I approach world and connect with others. Thanks again and I look forward to reading more of your work!
Peter, I noticed that you mentioned experiential learning. That is a far reaching aspect of our life learning that often goes hand in hand with self directed learning. I went back to school when I was 56 and got my B.A. and M.A. While working on my B.A., I wrote a 75 page paper on my experiential and self directed learning that I received 24 credits for. I was lucky the university I attended had this program in place that allowed me to do this.
Pamela, a great effort and well done! I believe that studying later in life is often more effective because our motivation to succeed is higher, we're doing it to advance ourselves and not just to get another piece of paper to get a job.
Thank you Peter. I honestly had two goals and one was a job but the pandemic happened and I ended up with some disabilities so here I am, over educated and over experienced.
I loved this. It was so insightful. My journey too has been an upward claw at education and learning and it is so good to see how the learning curve just keeps going.
When my children were little one of my parenting goals was to teach them that learning happens everywhere all of the time
I wanted to break the pattern I saw around me of adults who proudly claimed they stopped learning/reading when they graduated.
I love that there are kindred spirits in the world.
Though Darwin is often credited with evolution, his greatest work, in my humble opinion, was Vegetable Mould and Earthworms where he posits, adaptation is the key to evolutionary survival not the often quoted, survival of the fittest.
I have gained much wisdom while watching nature, plants, soil, bugs, seeds over the decades
Thank you for this piece!
I have always been an avid reader and a seeker of understanding the world around me and have always felt so alone.
This really resonates, Peter. Thanks for sharing! Fascinating, too, to hear a bit about your career as a geologist. Do you plan to share more about that through your Substack? Hoping so! 🤞
Thank You, Michael, I do indeed intend to share some more stories. People have been telling me for years I should write a book, but it’s much more rewarding to share here on substack. I will be posting my stories to my publication @lifebooksandrocks.substack.com, so please follow there for more ….
A very inspiring interview! Thank you Matthew and Peter. Peter, I decided to start writing in my mid-40s and am currently working on my first novel. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done, yet I love it. I am engaged, challenged, and constantly growing through this process.
I just read your interview with Matthew again, it's really great Maria, lots of interesting book recommendations and your journey as a writer. I admire your perseverance, not easy with children around! Looking forward to hearing that you've finished your first novel (no pressure!), in the meantime I'll enjoy reading your posts on Dream Big
Peter...what an interesting life! I consider myself a life-long learner in a different way. I went back to school at 51 after having been kicked out of high school at 15. I attended full time for 7 straight years, and had major brain surgery in between the 4th and 7th year. My love of learning won out over giving up. It gave me a "late in life" career, but now I'm retired. I'm 73 and have spent the last few years learning Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop in order to design and sell fabric. I also paint in watercolor and oil, and that also took learning. I take online classes in all sorts of subjects constantly. And, of course, I read...probably 3-6 books (mainly non-fiction at a time. I cannot get enough. People think I'm younger than I am and I think it's the curiosity and desire to learn that causes that more than anything. Great post!
Good work Linda, you’ve found the magic ingredient to make getting older better. I admire the way you’ve overcome adversity, that’s amazing! Keep going and don’t give up! As to my life, well there’s a lot more coming in my posts, I’m just getting started!
Wonderful! Looking forward to your posts.
Thank you for your essay. I really enjoyed learning about your life and how your experiences have helped to shape your mindset towards learning. As an artist and educator, focused on process and self directed learning, this idea of continuous learning or life long learning is deeply connected to who I am and how I approach world and connect with others. Thanks again and I look forward to reading more of your work!
Thank you, Charlene, interesting observation. More coming very soon!
Peter, I noticed that you mentioned experiential learning. That is a far reaching aspect of our life learning that often goes hand in hand with self directed learning. I went back to school when I was 56 and got my B.A. and M.A. While working on my B.A., I wrote a 75 page paper on my experiential and self directed learning that I received 24 credits for. I was lucky the university I attended had this program in place that allowed me to do this.
Pamela, a great effort and well done! I believe that studying later in life is often more effective because our motivation to succeed is higher, we're doing it to advance ourselves and not just to get another piece of paper to get a job.
Thank you Peter. I honestly had two goals and one was a job but the pandemic happened and I ended up with some disabilities so here I am, over educated and over experienced.
I loved this. It was so insightful. My journey too has been an upward claw at education and learning and it is so good to see how the learning curve just keeps going.
Thank you Jon, I’m glad you appreciated it. The upward claw maybe hard but it is worthwhile in the end. Keep going 😊
LOVED this piece
When my children were little one of my parenting goals was to teach them that learning happens everywhere all of the time
I wanted to break the pattern I saw around me of adults who proudly claimed they stopped learning/reading when they graduated.
I love that there are kindred spirits in the world.
Though Darwin is often credited with evolution, his greatest work, in my humble opinion, was Vegetable Mould and Earthworms where he posits, adaptation is the key to evolutionary survival not the often quoted, survival of the fittest.
I have gained much wisdom while watching nature, plants, soil, bugs, seeds over the decades
Thank you for this piece!
I have always been an avid reader and a seeker of understanding the world around me and have always felt so alone.
Amelia, thank you for this excellent comment! Indeed, kindred spirits.
This really resonates, Peter. Thanks for sharing! Fascinating, too, to hear a bit about your career as a geologist. Do you plan to share more about that through your Substack? Hoping so! 🤞
Thank You, Michael, I do indeed intend to share some more stories. People have been telling me for years I should write a book, but it’s much more rewarding to share here on substack. I will be posting my stories to my publication @lifebooksandrocks.substack.com, so please follow there for more ….
Great, subscribed! Fun to hear that you’ve found a medium/outlet for your stories that feels like home, Peter. 🙂 Looking forward to it!
A very inspiring interview! Thank you Matthew and Peter. Peter, I decided to start writing in my mid-40s and am currently working on my first novel. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done, yet I love it. I am engaged, challenged, and constantly growing through this process.
I just read your interview with Matthew again, it's really great Maria, lots of interesting book recommendations and your journey as a writer. I admire your perseverance, not easy with children around! Looking forward to hearing that you've finished your first novel (no pressure!), in the meantime I'll enjoy reading your posts on Dream Big