What We Learn

One of the things I admire most about my husband is his voracious appetite for learning. He reads mostly non-fiction books on a variety of topics, including sports, history, travel, math and the English language. Oftentimes, he will read a passage aloud to me from one of his tomes, or he will call me over to the computer to read me something he's found on the internet. The cool thing is, he retains much of what he reads.

This comes in very handy when we're touring the Smithsonian. He will pull obscure facts from the recesses of his memory and share them as we walk through museum. I am constantly amazed. It occurred to me that I take this ability of his for granted. So I started trying to imagine what it would be like if he didn't have this incredible mind of his. And I realized how much I would miss it.

Unlike my husband, I read something, comment on how cool it is, and promptly forget. This causes a certain amount of consternation on my husband's part, especially when he is doing his crossword puzzle, and I can't remember the name of Jane Eyre's charge. (I read a lot of fiction.) My brain just isn't wired that way. I can recall jingles from TV commercials that ran 40 years ago, and I'm very good with song lyrics. I also have a good memory for events that took place at work. But don't ask me who the 26th president is, ask him.

I'm not sure I'm headed anywhere else in particular with this today. I just thought it was right and proper to give kudos to the man who has enlightened me in so many ways over the years.

So, here's to you, Mr. Ginley.

P.S. For those of you playing along at home, Jane Eyre was governess to Adele. And the 26th president was Theodore Roosevelt. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!