I never let my schooling get in the way of my education
~Mark Twain

Now, seeing as how to I’m going to school and all, that one might seem a little counter-intuitive :) What I take away from it is how, even as we immerse ourselves in our classes, there are other things just as – if perhaps not even more – important than what we get out of our books. And those lessons are ones we can learn in a variety of schools. I think there are a lot of people out there who have degrees, but the mark of their accomplishment isn’t some piece of paper they can hang on the wall.

I’m one of those people who, when I play a video game, is more than happy to hunt down every one of the little shiny bits that the developers may have hidden throughout the adventures. I like to do it, just to say that I have, but also because there are often little awards/rewards that you can earn or unlock by taking the time to find everything. Many times you wind up with at least a subscreen, perhaps a shelf in a base, maybe even a whole room – all just for a place that displays all the things you’ve earned or found.

I wish sometimes that people had little shelves like that, or maybe a book – or a charm bracelet. Some of the ornaments would be shiny, well polished and worn. Others may be tarnished, twisted, or mangled. I bet you there are more charms on there than the person ever even remembers getting. But if we could point it out, say, “What’s the spindle one for?” – then .. then we would hear some stories, and we would learn some things that we had never heard before.