A NOTEBOOK

I once new a man who always had a little notebook and pen in his pocket. They went everywhere with him – always. Indeed he had a collection of them carefully filed in a drawer.

A large collection.

Sixty years worth.

This little library was not a series of diaries. It was knowledge – a record of what he learned every single day of his life from his 21st birthday onwards. It could be a bit disconcerting when he took out his notebook in the middle of a conversation, but it was flattering too. Flattering to know you had said something he valued and that it would be written down for posterity.

Every now and then he took out his notebooks and browsed through them.

And so he remembered.

He was a very knowledgable, self-educated man.

He was a life long learner.

And it made him happy.

It made others happy too. For he passed on much of his knowledge to his children and grandchildren.

AND A LAPTOP

I liked this idea, but knew I would never be disciplined enough to stick to it.

No time, thought I.

1 August 2007, at long last, was the beginning of a profound change in my life, and I am going to celebrate by making time to do the very same thing. However my laptap will replace the notebook and I will restrict myself to noting three new things per day. Hopefully. Not usually political, controversial things. Just things I have come across or want to know a little more about. Or things I once new about but have since forgotten.

I have no idea where this will lead nor do I know what topics will appear.

I want to do this too for my children and perhaps future grandchildren. But I have left it a bit late.

Feel free to enter my learning world and share anything here that you find interesting.