Lately, I have been reflecting on the amount of knowledge I have gained over the past fifty-plus years. It started when my daughter, Kate, asked me why I wasn’t using a recipe to make one of our favorite dishes. I hadn’t even thought about it, but I guess have made it so many times, it is now inherent.
So, how (or when) did I accumulate all of this information and develop it to the point I don’t need directions, a recipe or a reference book anymore? Information I take for granted, like…
- How to deep to sow a tomato plant
- What children need at 2 or 7 or 17
- How to sew a wedding dress
- Which ingredients flavor Mexican or Asian food
- What knot to use when anchoring a boat
- How and when to buy and sell a house
- The names of Pacific Northwest plants and which ones grow best where
- The tricks to planning a memorable event
- What to do for an upset stomach or fever
- How to be frugal without being cheap
Over the weekend, I was watching a baby practicing with muscles she will soon use for standing and walking. Just starting out on this knowledge journey, she learns first to use her physical body and then her mind. Oh, how far we have each come from birth to our lives today. Layer upon layer, we learn and expand--never stopping this thirst for knowledge.
I enjoy sharing these bits and pieces I have gathered along the way with other eager students of life. One day, Kate’s children may well ask her why she isn’t using a recipe to make that same dish. Perhaps she will wonder, as I have, and then she will pull up a chair so they can reach the counter to help stir.
It is amazing when you stop and think about all of the knoweldge a person acquires along the way!
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