Reward for My Studies: Some "Me" Time

I didn't get as much studying done tonight as I had hoped...too many distractions including a kid that keeps waking up and not. falling. back. asleep.

But I studied, and I feel good about covering more than one subject tonight, and keeping at it until I could say that I had a fair amount accomplished.

So now I am giving myself the reward of time to reflect on just some of the many things I've learned that can't and won't be tested on the GRE, but that certainly will help me as I journey my way to and through school:

• I've learned that memory is helpful but also not the definition of intelligence, and that (most of the time) I can find ways to work with my neurological issues and memory loss.
• I've learned more about the type of life I want to live in my second thirty years, which keeps me excited and motivated to work hard for my family's future.
• I've learned that I have pretty good intellectual instincts most of the time about many things, and that when I follow my intellectual interests and inclinations, I end up in cool and interesting places.
• I've learned that I am a more capable learner than I tend to think.
• I've learned that when I immerse myself in interesting experiences that I become more interesting and also smarter.
• I've learned that my projects always seem daunting at first, but that if I chip away at things a little bit at a time, I usually accomplish something in the end.
• I've learned to be more humble, to listen more, and to assume I know less and have more to learn than I once thought.
• I've learned that if I want to learn something, I have to teach it. Thank goodness I am a mother!
• I've learned that curiosity may have opened Pandora's box and killed the cat, but that it also has been the foundation of almost every great discovery of all time.
• I've learned to accept approbation at face value, and to not fear my own joy as much as I once did.
• I've learned to sit still, be quiet, and lean in (though I am a little out of practice).
• I've learned to trust only change, and hopefully, I am learning to be less anxious about it.
• I've learned to be more comfortable with my human need for assistance.
• I've learned to value relationships, though I am still learning how to make longer commitments to other people without being overcome by ennui or fears of commitment.
• I've learned that when I am on the right path, I know it.
• I've learned more and more to open my heart to joy.
• And I've learned my daughter sleeps better when I am asleep, so I had better be off to bed... :-)