I Am Nothing, If Not Teachable

My worst fear is to lose my mind. Okay, maybe not the worst, but definitely in the top ten. I'm sure being eaten alive by some wild animal would be much more terrifying than slowly lapsing into mental no-man's land, but (depending on the way and the severity of mind loss) it's still pretty bad.

If I ever do become senile, I hope it's just like static in my head or happy delusions or something relatively blissful. I fear the kind of senility and dementia that, looking back, my own father must have had for many years before we realized. His mind was angry and hurtful, as well as confusing and suspicious. It was the kind of affliction that, even though your logical mind knows it's the disease, it still makes your heart hurt.

This is one of the reasons why I am so committed to continuous learning. The brain must be exercised. And you can't just stretch the brain muscles you already have--although that's important, to be sure--you have to develop new brain muscles. (Yes, I know the brain is not a muscle, but I started with this metaphor and now I feel like I have to carry it through.)

This week, I've been working on our company's website. And let me assure you, Gentle Reader, it has been a learning experience. You know your friend Patwoman is a technophile. But you must remember, she was also a full-grown adult before this Age of The Web. So the internet, for me, is a learned skill rather than a genetic trait.

Still, I think I caught on very quickly. Most things were things I only had to be shown how to do once. Some things I was even able to extrapolate how to do, based on previous skills learned. It helps, also, that it is a very rules-driven process. That appeals to my Lawful Neutral nature.

I have a pretty good feeling of accomplishment now, I can tell you. I've not only been able to accomplish a great deal on the website (very practical), but I've given that brain muscle an invigorating aerobic workout.

Hopefully, this is preventative medicine.