Everyday is a school day, or at least it should be.

Our office is located on Clarkson Avenue in Potsdam and has been since 2018. Previously it was located on Depot Street.

The old building was so cramped we practically sat on each other’s laps, but it was a nice location for lunch break walks.

It was near many restaurants and businesses. One year I was even able to grab garbage plates on a near daily basis -- if you know, you know – and while I’m sad it closed, it’s probably been beneficial to my health.

There are still many businesses and eateries worth popping into along the strip but in those days I’d stroll up Market Street trying any restaurant I’d never eaten at before and I’d also make a habit of popping into the nearby thrift stores at least twice a week and the consignment shops every other week.

I’ve found some pretty fun stuff there over the years, from a decent bass guitar to an old steel Swingline stapler. I’ve lived my life with few, if any regrets, but I really wish I’d pulled the trigger on some lawn darts I saw there as a reminder of America’s better days.

But I digress.

When we moved into the new building I found myself taking fewer strolls downtown. We still aren’t located very far from Potsdam’s retail and restaurant area, but it’s just far enough to make it tricky to fit in the lunch break window.

In recent weeks I discovered that a shortcut to the Munter Trail is right behind my office. So I decided to take a stroll and it was a nice change of pace. The stupidity I’d felt from missing it literally for years was similar to the time I misread the word orangutan out loud as orange-uh-tan in front of my kids. They laughed, but I simply wondered how it’d happened.

On any given day, I speak with dozens of people. And while I do listen and react at the time, I often fail to follow up on suggestions given to me.

At this point, you’re wondering where I’m going with this ramble. Well, I’m encouraging you to learn from my mistakes.

I’m reminding you to pay a little more attention to your surroundings and recommendations of others. If everyday’s a school day, it’s probably a good idea to start taking notes. That’s something I’ve been trying to do lately.

I’m sure many of you discovered this long ago, but outside of work, I’ve never been a big notetaker.

I’d like to miss out on fewer things, like that taco truck that’s been spotted in Potsdam.

For years I missed out on a trail that’s only a few hundred feet from my office, because I wasn’t really paying attention. I’m sure more than once someone probably told me about it.

One nice thing about the North Country is there are usually a lot of different routes we can take to get to the same place with only a slight difference in time.

I’ve found over the years that one of the best ways to find new things is by simply taking a different route to a familiar place.

There is also more than one way to experience a drive or ride and while it’s nice to blast your favorite song or podcast, it’s worth taking the occasional drive without that noise and looking at those things we pass all the time but never noticed.

Pay attention. Take a note. You just might learn something.

Jimmy Lawton is news editor of North Country This Week and NorthCountryNow.com