Post written by Laura Cococcia. You can follow Laura on Twitter.

I’m a how-to person. I love to learn and research how people do “things.” Obviously, writing is something about which I’m passionate – but I’m happiest when I’m soaking up knowledge about pretty much anything.

My education program: I’m out discovering and uncovering in the world, and I read a ton of books and articles. Even the occasional billboard offers insight. But it doesn’t have to be complicated – I just ask a lot of questions and try to pay attention to what’s around me.

I subscribe to a site called “wikiHow” For more context, here’s the site’s goal, straight from its home page:

wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. With your contributions, we can create a free resource that helps millions of people offering solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 68,023 articles – written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers. Please join us by writing on a topic not yet covered, or editing an article that someone else has started.

I find wikiHow’s collaborative education concept to be Very Cool. Every day, more how-to articles are posted and people get to comment. It’s a never-ending encyclopedia with a built-in conversation.

Some of the article topics have been pretty useful. Like “How to Develop Your Photography Skills.” Or “How to Cut a Limb from a Tree.”

Not long ago, however, an interesting article came up on my wikiHow gadget. It was titled “How to Escape From the Trunk of a Car.” I wondered if I needed to know about this. It’s entirely possible, so I clicked on the article. And about 10 people had already chimed in with their opinions and alternate solutions.

My question: is this article useful? It’s accessible, but how many people will ever need to escape from the trunk of a car? Or my personal recent favorites: “How to Humanely Remove a Mouse from a Sticky Trap,” or “How to Crochet a Yip Yip Alien.”

Not sure if I’ll ever need to do these things, but now I know how.

Who’s to say what’s useful knowledge for me but not be useful to another? What I do know is that the models for knowledge sharing continue to evolve – and even for those of us who feel ‘up to speed’ or ‘learned’ – it’s time to think again.

Think back to when you last learned a new skill or concept – anything goes. How did you learn about it?

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Post written by Laura Cococcia. You can follow Laura on Twitter.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been going through a Dr. Seuss phase. I bought this recently for a friend’s niece who is graduating from college. I also gave Dr. Seuss favorites Hop on Pop and Are You My Mother? to my parents last Christmas.

But my favorite Dr. Seuss is undoubtedly Oh, The Places You’ll Go!. I’m guessing some of you also have a story about the book. It’s the one everyone receives when they graduate from university or high school.

I have six copies on my book shelf. Six.

As with all Dr. Seuss books, it’s written with humor and rhyme and elements of truth. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! provides inspiration for aspirations, particularly for those need it. Like those who graduated with a degree in basket weaving.

Thinking back…where did I end up going after graduation? I wanted to change the world, so I was a full-time volunteer in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Chicago. Having no money, I then went back and lived with my parents for a while (awesome). Then, I worked for the Girl Scouts as a marketing director – and yes, I had to wear an adult Girl Scout uniform once a month to the office.

Now I’m here in NYC, writing to you. I could write you a long list of events that fill in the gap between the Girl Scouts and now – or tell you the story instead (which I prefer). But I’ll save that for another time. And no, none of it was how I planned, but the whole journey was – and is – simply awesome.

It’s inevitable that the journey changes, new ideas are born within us over the years - we might meander a bit or change our planned path.

Oh the places we go.

But Oh, The Places You’ll Go! is not just for the graduate. Here’s a little excerpt to brighten your day if you don’t have one of your six copies handy. And no matter what sidewalk or crossroads I happen to be on or at, I always think these words make sense.

And that’s why I love Dr. Seuss.

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Think about what you were planning to do / see / be after high school or college. Was your journey  that “plan” or did you take a different path? Are you the person with the degree in basket weaving who climbed the corporate ladder? No matter what it is, we’d love to hear your story.

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Guest post by Lisa Frank. You can follow Lisa on Twitter and find out more about what she’s up to on her blog.

I am intrigued that a location or a song can remind me of a loved one so much that I can almost feel their presence.

The sewing room in my parents’ home holds much more than fabric and books. On the back wall hangs a meticulously pieced quilt and the sewing machine is always at the ready. Bookcases overflow with design books collected over a lifetime of creating handmade items.

I can walk into the room, close my eyes and immediately feel connected to my mom – crafting is her passion. Over the last three years and through her frequent hospitalizations, this room has also become my refuge. Sometimes I pray, sometimes I cry and other times I just run my hands over the last things she touched. Amidst all what to me is the essence of my mom, I have to face one undeniable fact: my mom has cancer and a cure is not in sight.

Nothing in life prepares you for the illness of someone you love and the moment of diagnosis becomes forever ingrained in your mind. In the fall of 2006 my mom was diagnosed with myelofibrosis , an extremely rare form of cancer that impacts only 1-2 people in every hundred thousand. Our lives now play out on either side of that diagnosis – the before and the after.

Life in the after has involved many difficult times, such as seeing my mom persevere through, among other things, a splenectomy, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. The times have been gracious as well. I will never again underestimate the strength of both of my parents and I will always treasure seeing the way my father has cared for my mom.

Finding A Cause For Hope

Given the opportunity, I would love for my mom to not be ill. While that is not possible and I often feel helpless, I find strength and purpose in channeling my energy toward the A Cause for Hope project.

This project aims to contribute funds for myeloproliferative disease research through the collection and resale of handmade items. Donations go to the MPD Foundation and 100% of new funds raised goes toward research. What better way to honor and involve my mom than through incorporating her love of things handmade. To date, we have collected close to $650 through the sale of these gifted pieces at craft fairs and in our Etsy shop.

My mom created over 50 pieces for the project so far to give back and help others with her disease. The next phases of my mom’s illness are still unknown, but she continues to fight, be strong and create her beautiful handmade pieces.

I encourage you to learn more about A Cause for Hope and if you feel compelled, to spread the word about our mission.

Laura used to work with my mom at a doctor’s office in our home town. Since learning about my mom’s illness, she has followed the ups and downs. Laura – thank you so much for this opportunity and for being such an amazing and supportive friend.

How have you discovered hope in difficult times? We’d love to hear your strength and story.

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