The scene: a class on Adobe In Design. The characters: Seven people who know what they’re doing and one who does not. The latter, an editor, works in words not in images, cannot find all the tiny buttons and tabs with which one works in this program, cannot even remember to use the mouse instead of the keypad. But she — heck, I’ll just come clean and say I — press on, determined to get as much out of the class as possible.

I don’t plan to become a designer; I just want to demystify the process. I repeat that to myself all day, a silent mantra, but there comes a time in mid-afternoon when I’m hopelessly confused. I don’t know how to manipulate the image, I don’t even know what layer I’m on. The class is moving fast and by the time I ask a question I’m six steps behind the others.

The secret to staying young, I’ve heard, is to keep learning. But learning is risky. It requires a willingness to appear foolish in front of others. I felt foolish today. Based on that, I should have lopped a week off my age. At least.