I took a speed reading course a few months after graduating from the Illinois Institute of Technology back in December of 1974. I still remember some of the principles that the instructor stressed: reading by groupings instead of word by word, eliminating internal vocalizations, keeping a quick, constant pace - but what I remember most is driving to class each week. The speed reading course was held at Northwestern University in Evanston, and to get there from the Southern Suburbs of Chicago I would take the Dan Ryan Expressway downtown and then get on Lake Shore Drive, driving along that beautiful lakefront up to Evanston, and then walking across that wonderful campus.
Around the same time, my father was hospitalized on the near north side of Chicago after a bad reaction to his blood pressure medicine. I remember stopping to visit him one time on my way to class. My mother told me my father never shared the results of his tests, and thought he might have received some news that made him want to retire to Florida and enjoy the rest of his life while he still could. That spring we all drove down to Stuart, Florida to visit with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie and to check out the area. My parents wound up moving down there the very next year. They both loved Stuart, and although my father was only able to enjoy 7 years there before he passed away, I am glad that those were such happy years for him. As for the speed reading, I was able to master it, but it just wasn't fun, and I decided I would rather take my time and enjoy what I was reading. The moral of today's Blog, courtesy of an old song: "enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think."
No comments:
Post a Comment