... When dreams come true – awaiting me with open arms!

Now, don’t get too excited. We’re just talking daydreams here – nothing terribly romantic but, still, life-changing. This is about a very “appropriate” and “mature” and “sensible” daydream. You’ll find the dream itself pretty tame; that it came true and was right there, under my nose, waiting for me with open arms – that’s the cool part.

In 2018, preparing to make a final move back to Green Bay from Seattle, assuming I’d retire, I daydreamed (of course!) about what my new life would be like as a retired senior citizen unwilling to just gossip, take naps and vegetate. And I envisioned a large, quiet room in the evening, with one section lighted. Under that light was a tripod holding a map of Africa, and standing next to it was an older man wielding a pointer. He was addressing about a dozen senior citizens,  sitting on chairs arranged in a semi-circle, and he was explaining how Africa had changed since the 1950s.

And I thought, yes! That’s how I want to spend my free time: learning with other mature, inquisitive people. When I get settled in Green Bay, I want to find a group of seniors interested in learning how the world has changed, what’s new in science, what I never understood about history or geography... I want to find other seniors who, like me, want to learn just for the joy of learning.

After that daydream had held me in its thrall about five or six times, I resolved: When I get to Green Bay, I’ll search out such a group. And, if they don’t have a learning program for seniors, by gosh, I’ll start one! I imagined myself going to the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and finding someone to help me make it happen!

Of course, once I bought my house and moved across the country, my focus for the first year was on getting settled, buying the area rugs, replacing the furnace... I put my daydream aside for a while and then, with my attention completely devoted to other things, I somehow made the amazing discovery: Folks at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay actually had such a learning program for seniors! They’d been at it for thirty years, making lifelong learning a reality and a joy! I didn’t have to start it – all I had to do was register and join my fellow seniors!

Honestly, I have no recollection of how the information came to me. I only know I went on the Lifelong Learning Institute website and found a mind-boggling list of fascinating classes, mostly single two-hour presentations, some featuring a couple sessions, and one continuing all semester! But how much would all of this cost me? Would you believe I signed up for 15 classes each semester for a yearly fee of $150?!

Now, life didn’t go exactly as expected: I didn’t fully retire. In fact, I’ve stayed pretty busy. But, for the past three years, the Lifelong Learning Institute has been one of the greatest joys of my life! I take a bi-weekly class in current events with a group that had been meeting for 15 years before I joined them! And I’ve taken courses in sex and gender, climate change, and Putin’s Russia. I’ve learned about legal issues in retirement, cremation, stress reduction and heart health, the national debt, poetry of all kinds, and so much more. One class recapped the statistics of the pandemic, and another was all about Elon Musk. I’ve enjoyed a walking tour illustrating the history of Green Bay and an interesting overview of city improvement by one of our prime developers. Some instructors have been professors and others have been my senior peers – after all, at this point we have a lot to offer. I’ve met folks who take classes in jewelry-making and growing tomatoes and calligraphy; that’s not my bag, but I’m happy they can enjoy it.

I’ve told my friends about the Lifelong Learning Institute, and they admit they ought to join. After all: up to 30 classes for $150! No tests, no homework, no pressure – even free parking. And all in the company of those civic-minded, inquisitive seniors I had so hoped to meet! Of course I don’t know everything about LLI, so I offer them the phone number (920-465-2356) and the email address (lli@uwgb.edu).

I don’t know: Does anyone else daydream about stuff like this? I know I’m odd, but I’ve found hundreds of local seniors who share my interest in learning. (I’ve never asked them about their daydreams.)