Begin your spring renewal with continued learning through the Creative Retirement Institute

Though April showers may come your way,
They bring the flowers that bloom in May,
So if it’s raining have no regrets,
Because it isn’t raining rain you know, it’s raining violets.

This a well-known verse from a famous 1921 song composed by Louis Silvers with lyrics by B. G. De Sylva. It was made popular by Al Jolson. [As an aside, my grandfather was named Louis Silver, but he wasn’t the composer.] This song is very appropriate for the Pacific Northwest, where we get lots of rain in April (as if November through March wasn’t rainy enough). But by late April and through May, our area is a riot of flowers and spectacular colors. One trip to the Skagit Country Tulip Festival will flood your senses with the many dazzling fields of tulips of all different colors.

April and May are very interesting months. “April” comes from the Latin aperire, which means to open, referring of course to the flowers and tree buds. “May” comes from Maius, the Greek goddess of growth. In April and May, flowers open, animals come out of hibernation, and birds begin to fly back north. It’s rebirth.

April and May also have their special days and features. April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month, and April 26 is National Pretzel Day. May used to be a bad month in which to get married: “Marry in May, and you’ll rue the day.” May 4th is Star Wars Day, since it sounds like “May the Force.” In England May Day goes back at least to 1350 AD. In the U.S., May is National Burger Month and Older Americans Month.

Despite the silly things associated with these months, the main theme of April and May is reopening, rebirth and coming out of hibernation. For plants and animals, it is a very physical thing triggered by light and temperature. It turns out the we humans also experience renewal in the spring. Just like plants and animals, the increased sunlight and temperature give us humans more energy and happiness. Other forms of renewal can be letting go of old habits and setting new life goals: gardening, travel, eating more healthily, exercising, and learning. As they say, you don’t stop learning when you get old; you get old when you stop learning.

Intellectual rebirth or renewal is very easily done. It can mean learning (or relearning) new ideas. Go to the library and read fiction and non-fiction. Or take courses. Most likely, you don’t want to take courses at a local university or community college with students your grandchildren’s age, cram for quizzes and tests, and write papers. But you do want and need to learn to keep your brain active. Sudoku and crossword puzzles are fine for maintaining your sense of logic and vocabulary.

Personally, I wanted to learn and to be stimulated again. I wanted to learn (or relearn) history, science, philosophy, nature, and so on in a classroom environment, with other interesting seniors. I discovered the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI), a lifelong-learning program at Edmonds College that has been around now for over 30 years. It offers short non-credit, college-level courses at a modest cost. The courses meet once a week and are between one and four weeks long.

CRI is not alone. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is associated with the University of Washington and offers similar non-credit courses to people over 50. For those Boomers who are comfortable with non-traditional format learning, there are programs such as The Great Courses, which provide a wide variety of over 800 courses that can be streamed. Another online resource is BabyBoomer.org, which offers articles, podcasts, articles, and books, all aimed at seniors. All these programs have everything you loved about school: the excitement of learning, interesting professors/instructors, making friends with your classmates, and having fun.

These programs have none of the things you hated about school: no term papers, no quizzes or examinations, no oral reports, no grades, no $200 books to buy, and no pressure. Basically, all the laughs and none of the tears.

The 2026 Spring Term at CRI has about 50 classes to choose from and has just started. The courses are taught by instructors very well versed in the topics that they are teaching. Many are retired college professors, and all of them bring extensive personal and professional expertise as well as enthusiasm for their topic. About 64% of the CRI courses will be taught in person in small classrooms, and 36% of the classes will be taught online using the Zoom platform.

For arts and music lovers, there are courses on Art and Other Creative Approaches to Joseph and His Brothers; Bach in Leibnitz; Berhte Weill; Defining Mid-Century Modern Design; Hilma af Klint; Listening to Jazz; Public Sculpture; The Opera or the Overture: Which Comes First?

For history and current-events buffs, there are courses on Chasing US Presidential History; From Pilgrams to Plutocrats; Humor in Presidential Politics; Titanic: Survival Comparisons; US History: The Young Republic.

For nature and science lovers, there are courses on A Virtual Walk along the Kingston Beaches at Low Tide; The Power of Gene Editing; Understanding Spices from Plant to Plate; Global Renewable Energy; Marine Life on the Puget Sound Tide Flats; Our Moon.

If you’re interested in technology, there are courses on Creating, Sharing and Collaborating in Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Keep, and Google Sheets; AI Roundtable;

If literature is your thing, there are courses on CRI’S Freewriting Workshop; Nordic Children’s Literature; Ibsen’s Drama; Radical Politics of Deep Space Nine; William Stratform: a Poet of Our Times.

 And finally, there is a philosophy and sociology course: Native American Cultures of the Northwest Coast.

If you are not familiar with CRI, here’s your chance to have a delightful time that will stimulate you and keep your mind from growing old. I’ll be there. See you there.

Registration for the Spring 2026 Term at the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) of Edmonds College has started. The full list of classes, their times, dates, instructors, and complete descriptions can be found at www.edmonds.edu/cri. Once you arrive at the website, click VIEW CLASSES; then click on SPRING 2026.