Why Should I Care About Lifelong Learning? Why Should I Get Involved?
Updated: Jan 4, 2020
Have you noticed the wonderful array of articles, internet sites, books and television specials we have that focus on the issue of aging? For a generation that is known for being self-absorbed, we have lots to feed our attention on how we are aging! I just finished a great article online about “life expectancy”. And as good as the article was.....just ask me sometime and I’ll provide the link...what I was hung up on was the moniker, “life expectancy”. I know what the authors mean when they use it, but all of a sudden what it really meant to me was “what do I expect from life as I age”? And I think that’s a better question to ask, rather than how long will I live? I hope I really mean it when I say that I want to spend however long I have expecting to remain engaged in LIFE and the quest for being useful and interested in the people and places around me.
And maybe that’s why I believe in Lifelong Learning.
When my grandparents’ generation retired they knew they weren’t facing long scores of years left and were relatively content to accept dwindling health, interest, energy and resources. My parents expected a “fun” retirement. They laughed about my mother retiring from cleaning dinner dishes, and Daddy golfing in Hot Springs Village as much as he wanted. But they missed the importance of relevance. Not until they had missed the point did they figure out that staying involved and engaged on any level could bring contentment, instead of the fear of the future. It could bring an understanding of the dynamics of an ever-changing world instead of a resistance to change. And they missed the potential of allowing their imaginations, their thought processes and their energy to help them apprehend the important things in life. Wow! Does that sound like I want to be a cruise director and keep you busy just moving around and memorizing things all day? Good grief, no!!!! Lifelong Learning Institute of HSV is dedicated to providing enlightening, interesting, and fun learning experiences, at the pace of every learner, with something that meets the needs of different learners. We’re even beginning to amass a library of videos of events so if you are visiting out of town you can “catch up” on what you missed. Our Minimesters are only 4 weeks long, one two-hour class a week, just so you can schedule other things- trips, church outings, grandchildren- and still participate. Yes, I am participating too! Although I only had the opportunity to attend 2 of the “Blind Side of Retirement” classes, I plan to continue to attend as much as I can until I retire. Then watch out! I hope to miss very few after retirement. But for now, come join me for the first spring Minimester on Retirement Planning. And a trip or two that are coming up...maybe to Old Washington on Saturday, Dec. 1 for a festive Christmas in an historic setting.
Let’s all expect more of ourselves in life!
The Minimesters for the second fall session is over. Our next Minimester will begin in March of 2019. We will have classes in Culinary Arts, Arkansas History, Art and Culture, Lifestyle,and Science and Technology.
We have several upcoming events scheduled for the remainder of 2018. On Wednesday, November 28th, Joey Clampit will be teaching another “Smokin’ and Grillin’ “ Class. The class will be held at Clampit’s Country Kitchen at 2:00 PM. Click on this link to sign up for the class: https://www.hsvlli.org/talks-travel
On Saturday, December 1st, we will travel by tour bus to Old Washington State Park to attend the 31st annual Christmas Candlelight event. You can sign up for this trip by clicking on this link: https://www.hsvlli.org/old-washington
On Wednesday, December 5th, we will have a free presentation by The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office on identity theft and scams. You can sign up for this event by clicking on this link: https://www.hsvlli.org/events/identity-theft-and-common-scams
It is also time to join or renew your membership in the Lifelong Learning Institute for 2019. Members receive special pricing on all of our paid events and classes.
Click on this link to renew or join. https://www.hsvlli.org/membership
We will be videoing several of our events and creating a digital library for members who are unable to attend events and classes. Members will have access to this library. We will be making DVDs of some of the events that members will be able to get and view on their home DVD players. More information on this access will be forthcoming.
Finally, invite your friends to join Lifelong Learning Institute and participate in our programs!
