Late last week I found out that I've been invited to audition for Jeopardy! on June 26th. So much time had passed since I took the online test, I'd assumed I had either missed too many of the questions (entirely possible) or just hadn't been selected from among those who did make the cut. Now, I feel like I've won the lottery.
I'll have to fly to Kansas City for my audition, which won't be cheap, but even my very frugal mother said "Oh, you have to go. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." She's right, of course. No telling whether something like this will actually happen again. Plus, I was freaking out about money just a week or so ago, trying to think of ways to get my hands on a big chunk of cash to pay down some of our bills--and, suddenly, this opportunity falls into my lap. I don't believe that's a coincidence.
So I'm taking this rather seriously. It feels like I'm being given a chance to do something here, so I'm going to do my best with it.
And it's kind of cool to feel like a student again, instead of a teacher. Right now I'm just letting myself browse among a variety of subjects, feeding my brain. For example: I've learned that the capital city of Zimbabwe is Harare; when Zimbabwe was Rhodesia, the capital city was called Salisbury. Over the weekend I taught myself to label all 53 African countries. (I'm too ashamed to admit how few I could label on my first attempt.) This morning I started going through my son's flashcards on U.S. Presidents and found myself fascinated by a subject that I'd thought would be a bore.
I think I've won the lottery in more than one way: not only do I get a chance to audition for my favorite game show and, perhaps, make some money for my family, I also have an excuse to sharpen my mind and freshen my knowledge of the world. I've always been curious, and I've always loved learning for its own sake, but life often gets in the way of such noble intentions.
Now, though, life itself is the subject. Last night, helping my son build an edible model of a cell for his science class, I realized I was studying as we worked. What might have felt like a waste of time (because, come on, do we need to build an edible model of a cell? Couldn't we just draw it on paper?) suddenly became an opportunity for the two of us to work together toward our own goals, to help each other out.
Maybe seeing connections like this will be the real reward of my Jeopardy! experience. Or, maybe, a chunk of cash. Either way, I'm a winner.
