That Special Moment

That special moment when the feeling, that inkling of understanding exploded into my consciousness… I was unable to stop the questions, the constant searching of Google, the new-found courage and confidence to contact and meet people, scientists, researchers I had never met or even knew existed. Like an egg overheated in a microwave, my questions erupted, splattering over all those poor folks in my life. How come this knowledge, this wisdom was out there and I had been cocooned from it by my ignorance? Why was this information secreted from me? How could I stuff it into my aging brain and use it, develop it, feel at ease with it and of all things, get involved and help expand and enhance the information?

Well, unlike the egg in the microwave and more like the BIG BANG, I started searching on the perimeter of my current knowledge, expanding rapidly (and inaccurately at times), reading and listening and watching, desperately hoping I could trap it. Why now, in my 7th decade, would it constantly cause me to wake and search for more knowledge, to seek out some other poor like-minded souls who had similar questions, and who had (in some cases) the courage to set about finding the answers?

A hysterical, heady mixture of aging awareness and excitement in the quest for knowledge. What a brew! I had never been intoxicated like this before.

I did win a prize or two at medical school. The most treasured was the walnut on a neck band. It was a gross-looking oversized walnut; I thought it looked like a brain. The award was from the Professor of Something, a gentle American who sadly had recently suffered a severe head injury on his way to work. It, the head injury, occurred when a motorist opened the car door sending the get-fit cyclist into everlasting head trauma. I was surprised to hear my name called amongst those nerdy students who knew far too much for their age.

Being the recipient of the ’Biggest Nut of the Class’ award is one of the proudest moments of my student life.

I digress a little, but needless to say I was not an academic and I was really quite frightened of the responsibility that came with this new knowledge.