Summer

Now that it is starting to (finally) feel like this semester's over, it is time for me to make a summer to-do list. Since I will be between programs, I want to spend the summer trying to pick up a few new hobbies that I can hope to integrate into my schedule when my new program starts. These are activities I have always wanted to try to pick up but never have felt like I had the time to build the habit while I've been in school. So here are some goals I have for the summer:

Take up yoga

I have flirted with yoga through the years, taking a few classes here and there, but I have not been able to satisfactorily fit it into my routine. This is in part because I am not a morning person, and the few yoga classes I have had access to as a student have been early morning. I've been looking at a few yoga studios around Decatur, hoping to find something within my student budget that will be near Emory and also near where my mom works; yoga's more fun with your mom! Maybe this summer I can check out a few of the classes ahead of time and see if they'll work for me.

Take up gardening

As part of my education in 5-8 grades, I worked in a greenhouse growing plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert as part of an ecological project within the National Park system. I absolutely loved the hands-on experience, and getting to play in dirt was an added bonus (fun fact: I find dirt absolutely fascinating, and was super-disappointed that I missed the dirt exhibit at the Smithsonian when I was in DC for the inauguration). Since I moved away from Big Bend, however, I haven't enjoyed the pleasures of working with dirt to grow beautiful things.

One particular goal I have in mind is trying to plant a labyrinth somewhere in my parents' yard. I've always loved the spiritual practice of walking a labyrinth, and I recently read about labyrinths being used for physical therapy. I would love to have a semi-permanent labyrinth in our yard both for its meditative benefits but also as an activity to do with my dad.

I have also recently become fascinated with vertical gardens, and would love to try building one. Home Depot recently released a PDF of instructions for how to build your own, so I'm thinking about trying to take up the project over the summer. I can just picture how much I would enjoy "painting" with living plants.

Take up biking

When I was younger, mom and I would bike everywhere. One of our favorite things to do in Big Bend was take scenic bike rides; we would have dad drop us off at a certain location with our bikes, and then tell him to meet us at an agreed-upon destination. Big Bend had a lot of beautiful scenery and challenging landscapes for biking, and it was so fulfilling at the end of the day to say that we had biked for 20 miles just to see the beautiful landscapes.

The bike I would love to be riding

I would really like to get into the habit of biking more frequently and using my car less often. Georgia will be hard to get used to biking in--especially after not biking for so many years--since there are so many hills, but with the right bike and a lot of practice, I think I'll be fine.

Organize closets, cabinets, and other storage spaces

My friend Kim over at The Gracious Gaze has some really handy tips on building and maintaining an ideal (simple) closet. And what I discovered from reading her posts is that I own way too much stuff. Part of my moving out process has been going through and seeing what I have that I don't need and throwing it out or donating it, and I am perhaps being overly ambitious in deciding I want to go through the closets, cabinets, bookshelves, etc once I arrive home. I get so much joy out of a neatly organized space.

And maybe I'll be able to talk my mom into letting me repaint their kitchen like I want to do.

Write a paper

And this is the part of my checklist that reveals exactly how much I am cut out for academics. You'd think that after leaving a three-year Master's program that required lots of paper-writing and before entering a Master's program in which I will be expected to write a thesis, I would want to take a break from paper-writing for just one summer. But the truth is, I love the idea of getting to do research and write a paper just for me. I get to read the things I am interested in and write about the things I am interested in. And if I do it right, maybe I can use it as a writing sample for PhD applications (!).

...and, finally

I want to post more frequently on this blog. I love being able to write on a regular basis about whatever I'm thinking. If you're lucky, I'll start blogging about all of my fun recipes and gardening projects. Or maybe I'll update you with some of my random creative writing projects. The point is, I want to post more, and hopefully it will be entertaining and meaningful for you as well!