Have you ever had a “driveway moment?” As a frequent NPR listener, especially while driving, I have more than once stayed stuck in my car, listening to a story even after arriving at my destination. When the story is compelling, it is hard to walk away, even if on a deadline.
Recently, I caught a story that had this effect. It was the weekend, and consequently it was a little harder to find the story online. Still, the subject of the story was so inspiring that I had to find it.
The story was a profile of a painter, a muralist, who combined realistic representations of his early training with the expressionist styles that dominated the second half of the 20th century. He painted for the WPA and in the latrines when in the service – because they were the only places where the lights remained on at night.
The artist, Eric Bransby, is now 98 years old and still painting, creating and learning. This is what was most compelling about this story. How many of us reach a “certain age” and assume that we are complete, fully formed and without needing to continue learning?
I am fortunate to have learners like this in my family, a father who learned a new language and also researched, wrote and published a book in his late 70s; an aunt who took up acting in her early 80s; a mother-in-law who has continued to learn new sewing and knitting techniques in her 80s. My husband is finally fulfilling a dream to learning more about photography and astronomy.
What we gain goes beyond knowledge and insights. We remain vibrant, engaged with the world and growing. Eric Bransby takes on new projects with the idea that each new project is an adventure that can help him develop or expand his skills. At this stage in his life, he could just rest on everything he has learned over a long career. Instead, at 98, he chooses to continue growing.
In what way are you continuing to grow? How do you choose each new challenge?
(And here is a link to the NPR story: http://n.pr/1A6nRC9)