It’s Never Too Late to Learn
I haven’t seen my brother in almost two years. I used to know where he lived but it’s been just about as long since I knew that. I have a phone number for him but he never answers it. It’s not his voice on the other end, so I’m not even sure if it is his phone I call and leave a message on.
In cowboy terms my brother is a drifter.
He is employed in a field where he works for three to five months, finishes the job, and has to find a new one. Often it means moving from one city or town to another. He’s not self employed, but in his line of work, you go from one company to another. He’s extremely talented so he fits in well wherever he uses those skills.
Most of us don’t work like this. Give us a nine to five (or maybe six, seven, eight) hour job and we’re satisfied…or at least we do it day in and day out so we can stay in one place, maybe raise a family or at least have a close circle of friends, and keep our yard and inside the home we own with the bank in some semblance of order, etc.
I’m not sure which one of these you would call the American dream. My brother likes to move around and be free to do so and I like staying in one place. Both of us are happy with our choice.
Saturday night he called me quite unexpectedly on my cellphone. Completely by chance I was shopping in the same city he now lives in. I asked if we could meet for dinner and offered to pick him up. I got directions and was there in an hour.
He lives in a modest home he rented with a friend until the friend died last week of an aneurism. The man’s relatives lived nearby and they are all reeling from the realities of the death. My brother, who has always had a hard time showing his heartfelt sadness, had tears rolling down his face as he told us how he tried to administer CPR to save him. I learned that day that, indeed, he was part of that family and will miss his friend deeply.
We had a great visit and had a chance to catch up. It was great to see him, I was glad to share in his grief, and we talked some about things he wanted to do and where he might be headed next.
Yes, I found that my brother was someone who also wanted to keep learning and loved life. He lives a different lifestyle than me, no doubt about that. He is, however, my brother and I love him dearly and always want the best for him.
We ended our visit with the understanding he would keep in touch. I believe he will.
My wish for you today is that you always keep learning…no matter where you are in life. There is always room for us to grow wherever we are…whatever we do. If there’s something you’ve wanted to do all your life, now is the time. Set a goal to learn something new everyday and you’ll never be bored and always keep learning.
~ Joellen