A status on Facebook this morning was a quote by Robert Heinlein, ” When one teaches, two learn.” I absolutely love the truth of this statement.
Every day, I learn something new or relearn something I had forgotten. It can be a concrete fact about history or math, or a spiritual or emotional truth. It may just be marveling at how our children see the world, their bright , fresh perspective. Either way, it makes me feel not only alive, but in awe of how magnificent God created our brains to be! What a blessing to have such a learning center in the middle of our thick skulls! And yes, pun intended! 🙂
So, learning and our love lives…
So often, on a date in a long-standing relationship, we can run out of things to talk about or possibly talk about the wrong things, the go-to-things: the children, the finances, kids’ school activities, car problems, work related issues, and the list of potential negatives goes on and on.
Not too long ago before a date with my sweetie, I pulled out the newspaper. I went straight to the section I never read, SPORTS. I made a short list of interesting facts. I moved on to any article on politics, world affairs, and religion. By the time we walked out the door for our date, my brain was in overdrive, humming and purring like the engine of a well-tuned, classic 1964 Mustang. I had enough new facts I had absorbed that I am sure hundreds, maybe thousands of neurons were etching new road maps in my brain.
We ordered, we chatted about the restaurant and our day, and then the moment came when I started to veer to snoozeville topics. Quickly, I corrected, and steered my way to my first new learning fact. ” So, what do you think about Marty Brenneman’s plan to shave his head?” I softly and smoothly inquired.
( For those of you interested, he is Cincinnati Reds’ sportscaster since 1974. He had a beautiful long and thick head of hair that he shaved to raise $50,000 for charity.)
David had a lot to share about that topic and the others I had “studied” that day. I sat back and listened to him speak with great enthusiasm at the end of a long workday. I am pretty sure he had already spoken his 7,000 words a man speaks a day, long before the car door shut as we headed to the restaurant. But three hours flew by before we realized it was time to go home and relieve the babysitters.
At some point in the evening, David was curious about where I had heard this fact or that fact. I just casually mentioned the various places I had acquired my newfound knowledge. He never said anything, but I could tell it had resonated with him that I had become well versed in subject matter that he cared about, because I cared about him. I had taken the time.
Sometimes, you don’t have to say anything. It is all spoken in the way he rushes to get the door for you. The way he holds your hand a little tighter on the way home. The way the driveway kiss lingers before you officially end the date, out of the house.
Yes, I love learning something new every day.
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