Seven plus four. Many of you immediately think eleven. But not me, I cannot recall it properly. I have to think: seven plus three equals ten, plus one more equals eleven. I know all other addition factors immediately, but that one always trips me up. For some reason in elementary school I chose not to really study that rule. And even now when I try to just make myself memorize it, I still go back to seven plus three equals ten plus one equals eleven. Darn it. I wonder what other basics I never learned. Am I just being mental on fundamentals? Does it matter? Who really cares? Who will correct me if I am wrong? And who do I talk with to fix it?

Of course, there are other fundamentals I spaced on learning. I am human after all and older than most of you, so I am bound to have more missing fundamentals than you at this point. These are a couple:

Who vs. Whom?…    I just wrote ‘who’ above in my draft of this article, but I’m not sure if it is correct. Should it have been ‘whom’ in some cases? (In fact, the editor of this paper may have corrected it.) I can search the grammar rules and makes sure it is correct, but it would be so much easier if I would just know it. Like when I am driving and I know when I can turn left on a green light.
Organic Chemistry I and II…

I took Organic Chemistry I (during my first time at college and at another university) and did not study much, took very few notes and just generally did not care to really absorb it. I gleamed what I had to get my solid B grade and walked away happy. But obviously, I did not take the time to learn the organic chemistry fundamentals, so later in Organic Chemistry II my solid B dwindled to a low C.

The lack of effort I put into Organic Chemistry at the beginning continued to taint all my learning and practical use in that area from that point forward. And it actually turned my love of that part of chemistry bitter. And all because I did not take the time at college, my main job at the time, to learn the fundamentals.

Regardless of my choices and missing fundamentals, you can still say so what. And you may think you are still young and there is ample time left to learn it right, right? But remember, later that relearning is going to be competing with your other classes, your job(s), your future family, and your many, many other responsibilities to come. And regrettably that ‘re-learning time’ will not be readily available. This college time in your life is the best ‘free’ time you are going to get to acquire those principles.

So, please do yourself a favor and turn your mentality to focusing on the fundamentals. Because trust me, one day when you are getting ready to go out the door to one of six activities your children have; and your eight year old child wants to know quickly what seven plus four is; you do not want her looking at you strangely as you work to pull up the answer. Me? I just pause, sit down, and put my sandals on over my socks and reply confidently, “Eleven”. But you know what I am really thinking first.