Out of my Comfort Zone

I'm pushing myself. Without reazlizing it, I've gotten soft. Really soft! When I graduated from law school 21 years ago, I decided that I'd never go back to school again. Granted, I was really tired back then. I'd had it with books and reading assignments until 2 am. But I didn't really realize how invigorating the act of learning can be. Now that I'm 48 years old, I regularly experience the same troubling memory issues that I used to make fun of my parents for suffering. I walk in a room and realize I have no idea what I was about to do. I call my kids by the wrong name (a HUGE sin since I was never called by the right name, and swore I would never do that!). I forget the words I want to speak mid-sentence. It's downright embarassing! So I'm taking some leaps of faith to get my mind in motion. One, I started taking acoustic guitar lessons. I always wanted to play, and I think it'll help my songwriting. What I didn't count on was how thick the mud was in my head. I stumble, fall, flail, stand up, and trip again. Then when I'm just about to throw my hands up and shout some obscenities, I get a sudden breakthrough. Learning is really a miracle. It's not linear. It's a flat line that suddenly will peak to a height you didn't anticipate only to flat line again for way to long. And over and over. Two, I joined an adult School of Rock class. We are preparing 9 rock classics to perform in a few weeks to my kids' great embarrassment. I sing tenor (and sometimes bass) and play bad keyboards. It's great fun, and I will likely make a big fool of myself in front of an audience (letting my inner Jaggar loose in Beast of Burden, for instance). Three, I'm seeking new legal work in child advocacy and social security cases. Out of the litigation circle for 17 years and not a lot of legal research at home in the past 5 years, I've needed to exercise this part of my education and identity. It's down right scary! But maybe a big reason I needed to start this blog in the first place was because I'd gotten stale. My mind was stuck in repeat mode with no one in sight to help me push the button for the next track. So I needed to pick up my heavy hand, aim, and push the button myself. So, Dear Readers, look at what you've had to learn recently. Maybe it's just figuring out a new cell phone or programming your new DVR. Learning can be daunting, but I think what we choose to learn tells us a lot about our identities. So, what do you want to learn? I gotta go practice some bad guitar! Have a great Monday!! 8/2/2010 7:39 a.m.