I recently read a piece about a guy in his late 30s who took up learning guitar as a hobby and actually became a proficient player. Then I read about a young man who decided to devote an hour a day learning about something just for fun - including banjo, juggling and astrophysics.
我最近看到一篇文章，讲的是一个快四十的男人开始学习弹吉他，原本纯属业余爱好，最后竟成了一名娴熟的吉他演奏家。之后，我又看到一篇文章，写的是一个男青年决定每天花一小时学点什么，仅仅为了自娱自乐，包括五弦琴、戏法和天体物理学。
Those pieces revved me up to go out and learn something new. Although I love that journalism allows me to dabble in a range of topics, I miss the thrill of structured, focused education. I'm not talking about going back to school full-time for a degree program, but taking a course or even reading a book to learn something just for the sake of it, such as a new language or skill. (Italian! Guitar! Indian cooking!) I don't need to become a master-the basics are fine with me.
Getty Images你能挤出时间学习新东西吗？这些文章启发我走出去，学些新东西。新闻事业使我可以涉猎各种不同的题材，我喜欢这一点，但我也怀念系统性、专注式教育的乐趣。我指的并不是重返校园做个全职学生并拿个学位，而是完全出于兴趣去修一门课程，或是看书自学些什么，比如学一门新的语言或技能。（意大利语！吉他！印度菜！）我不需要成为大师，只要学些基础的东西就可以了。
Easier said than done, of course. The problem isn't just that my aging brain makes it harder to absorb new information. It's squeezing in the time.
当然，说起来容易做起来难。问题不仅仅是我老化的大脑更加难以吸收新的知识，时间也挤不出来。
But when you think about it, a dedicated hour or even half-hour a day isn't that hard to fit in; I surely accumulate that much time watching TV, reading, exercising or futzing round the house. Maybe I could listen to an instructional tape while jogging? Or read some educational nonfiction before bed instead of my go-to novels or mysteries? Or take a web course instead of vegging out to 'Modern Family'?
不过，当你细想一下，每天挤出一小时甚至半小时并不太难；我看电视、看书、锻炼或在家里闲混的时间就足够了。或许我可以在慢跑的同时听教学录音带？或是在睡前看些有教育性的非小说类图书，而不是看口水书或推理小说？或是修一门网络课程，而不是沉溺于《摩登家庭》(Modern Family)？
Despite my gung-ho intentions to learn, I have a feeling that I may simply be too undisciplined-and tired-at the end of the day to make this happen at this young-kid stage of my life.
尽管有着学习的强烈愿望，我却有种感觉：我可能管不住自己或每天下班累得精疲力尽，难以在我尚年轻的时候实现这些想法。
It's not just me, either. My husband recently signed up for Rosetta Stone to learn Brazilian Portuguese. His initial enthusiasm has now waned and while he still wants to complete the course, work, family and sleep needs have made it tough to master. He's also trying to teach himself programming through Codecademy, which provides free online courses.
也不仅仅只有我是这样。我丈夫最近注册了语言教学公司Rosetta Stone的巴西葡萄牙语课程。他最初的热情如今已经消退，尽管他仍希望完成课程，但工作、家庭和睡眠需要使他难以应付。他还力图通过Codecademy免费网络课程自学编程。
Readers, have any of you done any adult education or learned a new skill or hobby as an adult? How did you find the time?
读者们，你们成年后是否曾进修过或学门新技能或爱好？你是如何挤出时间的？