‘If only I had not joined U3A’, I would not be struggling to write a 500-word essay on the night before such work is due. I must admit that the fault is mine as I am inclined to procrastinate and need a looming deadline to motivate me. Unfortunately, I have found this procrastination has even affected my sleep, as I toss and turn whilst trying to compose my required essay. However, at this stage of my life, time is a precious commodity. There are a multitude of things I could do that would be of more interest to me! As my husband pointed out I could spend the time reading the mountain of books I have piled up on my bedside table.
I joined U3A in 2020 as I hoped it would motivate me to continue my Family History Research which had been pushed to one side by life's other commitments. The push to join Memoir Writing was the hope I could one day tell my father’s story. My other enrolments were in Sustainability and German for Beginners. I have continued with the first three, but German came to an end halfway through last year as I found I was spending eight to ten hours a week doing homework. I opted instead to join Duolingo and have continued using that as my language option until now.
The fact that COVID 19 has been a feature of both years has not been helpful as Lock downs have featured on and off. Normal life has been impacted which does affect one's outlook and thus the ability to concentrate for any length of time. In short, there has been plenty of time to spend researching Family History, but the motivation and concentration have been lacking. The more physical chores are easier to manage than mental ones. Today for instance, instead of sitting down and writing, I spent eight hours in the garden. I did feel the satisfaction of a job well done but was still tossing up my choice of essay topic.
The fact that I am continuing with my classes means that I do not regret this decision overall, even though it does sometimes make me think “If only I hadn't”.
Marg McCrohan
26 September 2021
I joined U3A in 2020 as I hoped it would motivate me to continue my Family History Research which had been pushed to one side by life's other commitments. The push to join Memoir Writing was the hope I could one day tell my father’s story. My other enrolments were in Sustainability and German for Beginners. I have continued with the first three, but German came to an end halfway through last year as I found I was spending eight to ten hours a week doing homework. I opted instead to join Duolingo and have continued using that as my language option until now.
The fact that COVID 19 has been a feature of both years has not been helpful as Lock downs have featured on and off. Normal life has been impacted which does affect one's outlook and thus the ability to concentrate for any length of time. In short, there has been plenty of time to spend researching Family History, but the motivation and concentration have been lacking. The more physical chores are easier to manage than mental ones. Today for instance, instead of sitting down and writing, I spent eight hours in the garden. I did feel the satisfaction of a job well done but was still tossing up my choice of essay topic.
The fact that I am continuing with my classes means that I do not regret this decision overall, even though it does sometimes make me think “If only I hadn't”.
Marg McCrohan
26 September 2021
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