What You've Learned

Image: M.Kemal via Flickr

Last week, I asked you to share something you’ve learned recently.

These responses are some of my favorites ever—thank you to everyone who wrote in—so make sure to check out all of them. Here are a few random selections:

It’s ok to be alone. —AD

>><><<

I’m smarter and more powerful than I believe I am. After living with depression and anxiety for a decade, my self-esteem is shot, but last week, in an interview for my dream job, I heard myself talking, and thought “Wow, I know what I’m doing. I deserve this job.” Reader, I got it. —Hannah W. (Ed note: Congrats!!)

><><<

People will struggle to keep their public facade intact regardless of their personal turmoil and trouble. If they confide in you it’s for a good reason and you need to pay attention. Simple acknowledgement will do wonders. Compassion sometimes is letting people live their lives and being witness to their struggle, not trying to fix to ease your own distress. —Conrad R.

><><<

I am my #1 advocate.

><><<

Chain rule in calculus. It’s h(x)= f(g(x)) then h'(x)=f'(g(x))*(g'(x)). —AD

><><<

I recently learned that the funny shape of a running track (and also Wheetabix cereal) is called a discorectangle. A DISCORECTANGLE. —Harriet W.

<><<

forgiveness doesn’t have to make me weaker. forgiveness doesn’t mean i have to ignore the pain i feel or the anger and damage that still exists. forgiveness doesn’t mean i am less than anything or anyone.

><><<

Always go to the funeral.

There was an article on NPR about ten years ago that talked about this.  It stayed with me since the day I read it and recently, sadly, I’ve had two occasions to revisit it. The sentiment still rings true: do the hard thing. Do the painful thing. Do the awkward or inconvenient thing, and go. People will never forget that act of grace that is always, always bigger than you.

><><<

two ice cubes is the right amount to immediately bring a fresh cup of hot tea down to a more drinkable temp.

><><<

After the election I started learning to play piano as a way to distract myself from all the chaos, but I ended up *really* learning about patience. An instructor told me the best way to learn a song is to play it very, very, very slowly. Which for me meant going slower than whatever my original concept of slow was. I can’t stress enough how difficult it was for me to do this – it felt like rewiring my brain just to focus on one note, one chord at a time. But YouTube lets viewers slow videos down, so I learned a lot of songs that way. Now 10 months later I can play Imagine, Don’t Know Why, Supercut… bunch of stuff! I just learned the Twin Peaks theme earlier this week!  —Joshua

><><<

This week I learned, again, how to expedite heartbreak: let the other’s actions reveal who they are to you, then believe what you see.

><><<

The secret to amazing Shrimp n’ Grits isn’t heaps of heavy cream. It’s Pimento. Effing. Cheese. —Brenna F.

><><<

You pronounce segue as segway. I’ve been seeging into situations instead of segwaying into them for years.

><><<

I learned that plastic grocery bags stuck in trees are called witch’s britches

><><<

I recently learned that Dorothy Parker left her copyright to Martin Luther King, Jr. in her will, and to the NAACP upon his death. They still hold it to this day! —Frederica B.

><><<

DRINKING ORANGE CRUSH SODA BRINGS BACK GOOD CHILDHOOD MEMORIES! —ART

><><<

It takes more strength to be kind than to be an asshole. —Katie C.

><><<

I learned that the division symbol is just a fraction with dots where the numbers go —Morgan F.

><><<

I have observed for years that lightning is more frequent inside of shipping lanes than outside of shipping lanes. I have observed this in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Whenever I have shared this observation with my fellow shipmates they unanimously call me nuts and call my ship-generated lightning theory bogus. Well I have been vindicated, a recent article in an industry publication explained that the particulate from ship exhaust causes more air friction and thus more lightening in heavily traveled shipping lanes. I learned that I am not nuts. —Jonathan S.