Page 104 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2021

GOLDEN YEARS
LIFELONG LEARNING
story by Luke Height
You’re walking down the street with a hot coffee in hand
and headed to a local bookstore to grab a new book. You’re hungry to pick it up, read every word and soak in the story, information, and ideas. Whether you’re reading Mississippi’s own William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury or esteemed author Robert Greene’s Laws of Human Nature you feel like you’re in your element. That’s what lifelong learning feels like.
It feels as good as the Gulf Coast breeze, it feels as good as maw maw’s gumbo, it feels as good as family. Lifelong learning is something that brings us fulfillment in a variety of ways. Walden University recently published an article on the many benefits of lifelong learning. Here’s what they found:
• It can help you succeed at your job
• It can help your brain stay healthy
• It can help you stay connected
• It can help you stay fulfilled
• It can help you be happier
The truth is, now it’s easier than ever to be a lifelong learner.
Local schools such as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, William Carey University, and the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park campus are all offering online courses and a larger variety of options than ever before.
Beyond our local choices, the online marketplace is expanding rapidly. People are taking courses on apps such
as hiitide, Coursera, and Udemy, where they are able to get great instruction on all sorts of topics for a fraction of the price. Books are easier to access than ever because of apps like Kindle and Audible which allow them to read or listen right from their smartphones.
With all the great options out there to keep ourselves engaged, it’s a tragedy to miss out. The universe is filled with so many things to learn, great ideas and inspirations. When we start to take on the journey of lifelong learning, we find new ways to experience the world. A book can take us to a whole new galaxy and a course can give us skills we never believed we could attain.
104 | November 2021
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living