by Nancy Casey
Humans are learning all the time. That’s what we do.
In the process of growing from an infant to an adult, a person learns an awful lot. There was a time when you didn’t know how to say your own name. Or what it would feel like to be as old as you are now.
Learning doesn’t stop after we’ve grown to full size. Sometimes we get very organized and we try to learn. We take a classes or workshop inflower arranging or mathematics. We join sports teams and reading clubs. Other times new understanding comes to us through experience. In every case, there was something (maybe lots!) that we didn’t know when we started.
Learning comes in small, everyday ways, too. We learn what the weather is. We learn what our friends are up to. We learn what’s in our inbox. If you lose your keys, you either learn where you put them, or you learn what it will take to get them replaced.
One thing for certain: You can’t learn what you already know.
Today in your writing, celebrate the many things you have learned in your life—big or small—by writing down things that you didn’t know once but you do now.
Before you get started, draw a line at the top of the page where a title can go. Draw or doodle a little bit on the page to quiet your mind and get focused. Or set aside some space where you can draw later.
Write statements that begin, “Didn’t know…” and one after another, relate some of the things that, once upon a time, you didn’t know.
Often there is a story that goes with learning something new. Let your mind flicker through the remembering of those stories, but don’t write them down. And don’t let them slow you down. Don’t tell where, or when or why you didn’t know. Don’t explain the consequences of not knowing or what changed with the new information.
Just write down things you didn’t know. One after another. Big or small. No particular order. As many as you can fit on the page.
When you have filled the page, look over your work. Add color and illustration if you haven’t already. Think up a title for your page and write the date on it, too.
Here is an example of what someone could write.
You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.
Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. Since it’s not possible to have an in-person Write-For-You class at the Recovery Center, if you are interested in writing coaching, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 