Thing #23 - Skip the Face Lift

Women, I think, are especially sensitive to issues of aging. And how can they not? Society seems to equate beauty with youth; hence young is beautiful and old is not.

Need proof? Just look at any magazine! The predominance of ads for "cosmeceuticals" like Botox, Strivectin, and Restalane (sp?) and "non-invasive restorative procedures" like light-line peels and dermabrasion reinforce the notion that the youth is synonymous with worth. And, I have to admit that at the age of 41, I am susceptible to this line of thinking: I don't want to look old, and far worse, I don't want to feel old!

So, does this have anything to do with web2.0, or has Laura plucked one too many gray hairs? Believe it or not, this argument relates directly to the learn2play initiative! How, you might ask? Well, this summer I've discovered that the key to perpetual youth comes not from a potent serum or in-office procedure, but from two other sources: one, the desire to learn, and two, staying current with the times.

Just to give you all a little background, I'd always considered myself fairly computer literate; however, my knowledge was born of a need to complete some assignment rather than any desire to stay current with technology. Like so many other "digital immigrants" (otherwise categorized as anyone over the age of 35), I felt overwhelmed by the ever-changing landscape of cyberspace and like I could never catch up.

Ultimately, I decided that I wasn't even going to try - I would do what I had to for work purposes, but as far as blogging and networking and chatting went, that was a fad better left for the "kids". Now does that sound like an old person, or what? You remember hearing your own parents say something like that and thinking that they were soooooo old? What I didn't realize was that in consciously deciding against an opportunity to grow and learn, in choosing to let something pass me by, I had indeed begun to age. And old I grew, far beyond my years.

That is, until I learned to play. For the details of my learning you can look back at my earlier posts. To say that I've worked hard and learned a lot would be a great understatement. And there is still the slightly galling knowledge that this stuff is so natural to others: even last night, as I tried to explain to my 18-year-old nephew Sam the great accomplishments of my summer, he just said "Oh, really?" as if mentally texting to his friends, "OMG: It's nt rokt scinc!" Well, it isn't to him and all of those others seemingly born with a cellphone in one hand and a keyboard in the other. But for others of us, the huddled masses of cyberspace, the journey has been amazing.

However, the joy of Learn2play was not limited to the concrete lessons gained therein. A larger and completely unexpected source of joy grew out of the relationships formed along the way. Instead of a cold and impersonal experience with a mute computer screen, I found the warmth and camaraderie of other educators, who like myself ,were just venturing into the darker reaches of cyberspace: SJThinker, Infomaniac, Daydreamsintechnicolor, and Readerbuzz are just a few of the friends made along the way.

And of course, there is my dear sister Frogntoad. (For those of you who don't know, she really is my sister. Not a "sista" but my biological sister.) Though we live hundreds of miles and hours apart, we have worked through these "things" together, sharing our discoveries and disappointments alike. I love her all the more for undertaking this with me. But, come to think of it, she has always been willing to hold my hand along the way...

With the companionship of my Learn2play friends and my family, and with the satisfaction of each "thing" completed, I found renewed confidence and enthusiasm for myself as a student of technology, and more importantly as a student of the world.

So, would I do this again? You bet! Even if the same exact class were offered next summer, I'd take it again. Anything to keep learning. Anything to stay current. Anything to avoid growing old, old, old.

So, to sum it all up in one sentence, I'd say this: skip the face lift and try Learn2play instead.

ps - Some of you may have noticed that the original image associated with this post has been deleted. Rather than spend time in the circle of hell reserved for those who run fast and loose with copyright laws, I thought I'd go back and amend some of my posts. Hope the new photo from Flickr's Creative Commons satisfies as much as the first did...

ldk