Entering 55th Grade

     Wonderful piece in "The Gray Lady" or The New York Times (Saturday & September 2019) if you prefer, by Mary Laura Philpott. She writes about adults losing the childhood prompt to reboot their lives that came so naturally when they entered each new grade from kindergarden through the end of high school.

     I'm currently entering the 55th grade and like the idea of reclaiming this long forsaken right of passage. Each year we could go back to school changed in someway that each one of us alone would truly understand. It might be a new hair style or nickname, or the lasting impression made by a book that had been read over the summer. No matter, we were different!

     In the upcoming term of the 55th grade I'll be reading more fiction by revisiting some long time favorites. I am lucky to have the superb Queens Library System and their online app for making sure my desired choices are delivered to my local branch. Without the ongoing tech backlash against the likes of FaceBook it's good to know the Internet can still benefit more than the tech titans in Silicon Valley. The Queens Library is "one of the largest library systems in the world by circulation, having loaned 13.5 million items in the 2015 fiscal year, and one of the largest in the country in terms of the size of its collection." They are also very good about taking suggestions for new books so if I hear about something good they sometimes will order it.

    What would a 55th grade be without Physical Education? Good old PE. I have discovered the health benefits of walking other people's dogs in my spare time. As long as the dog is less than a mile away I am good to go on a 30 to 60 minute walk courtesy of the dog walking app Rover. One walk a day usually gives me 4 miles of exercise. The dogs are always pleasant and are usually good conversation starters with strangers I meet on the street.

     They don't teach Civics anymore as far as I know, at least not by that name but I am including it in my 55th grade curriculum. "Civic education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties." I will be making a point of voting in the upcoming general elections and making my views known to my fellow citizens in person and online regarding topics near and dear to my heart like Ageism.

     Lastly, I will continue to stay ahead of the curve on the topic of Cybersecurity. We have to balance our desire for ease of use against our need for privacy and security. Never an easy balance but essential in a world filled with Facial Recogntion technology, hacking tools in abundance, and lots of people with too much time on their hands.