What should I know before trying to learn something new?

Be open to possibilities. You never know how that one step can take you deeper and deeper into an enjoyable thing.

In 2011, I read a book called The Life of Skies by Jonathan Rosen. I do not know if I bought a Birds book on sale for a dollar at Borders, now closed book shop. One long weekend, I went to an arboretum and met a group being led by a birdwatcher. From there on, I joined that group and went to many bird watching places. I would put a tick mark against the birds we saw.

I learned about Christmas Bird Count and participated in one. Some of the experiences were ethereal. In a very wooded area, very close to a little bird, I felt like a giant. They were good fodder for poetry too. I also heard about the Big Sit, Backyard birdwatching. Now hearing the backyard birds makes me happy. Its almost like hearing friends talk.

Now thats a success story. It started by chance but took off well.

I wanted to learn pottery to understand how potters come up with the idea of the object that they are going to make. I bought all the material and went to the arts center to practise. There, I saw that the rest of the class was doing way better than me. In retrospect, I should have chosen a beginner’s class.

Choose the right sustaining environment in the beginning. Things can go north or south.