Goals for the summer

I have been inspired from a variety of sources to make some long term goals for the summer and the year to come. This will be the first fall in EIGHTEEN years that I won't be in "back to school" mode and I am so excited about it. Thesis-writing can be more or less an eight hours a day kind of job and I can have HOBBIES and a life! (The whole "job after school is done" issue also looms in the distance, but that requires much more thought yet...) #1 Less TV, more books. We really don't watch much to begin with, but I am constantly reminded how much more I get out of reading than I do out of television. I want to read more good fiction, more about plants and nature in general, more devotional Bible reading, more instructional reading on living simply and eco-friendly and healthily. We just renewed our library membership (for a paltry 12 dollars) and I want to make good use of it. #2 Eat more fruit and vegetables. There's so much fresh produce around during the summer, that I sorely miss during the winter, and I want to eat more raw seasonal fruits and veggies and learn to incorporate more into our daily meals. #3 Work on my Danish skills. We're off to Denmark for my research in October, and as a recent visit with my Danish cousins has made clear, I have much to learn yet before I'll be able to talk or read with any ease. #4 Work on my thesis, obviously. That's really my primary work; my day job. Working on Danish is part of this, but also reading more secondary research (like the local history books) and spending lots of time in the archives (this will be my biggest task of August and September). #5 Be outside. Walking or running or biking or hiking or just being. We crave outside so much in the winter when we're cooped up. The sunshine feels so good, being active also feels good and God gave us limbs that move so we can use them! #6 Take up sewing again. I learned to sew in junior high and LOVED it. But I don't have a sewing machine now and have had no opportunity to sew. But I want to gather things together so that I can indulge this creative desire more again. #7 Play more flute. I played with a friend of mine in church a couple of weeks ago and as I was practicing for it, I remember how much I enjoy playing. And music is a gift that I can give to the people in our church, something that God has allowed me to do that I can share. So I want to play more. #8 Phone people more...or just generally be in better contact with people. All last year I was in such a deep hole of stress and worry and single-minded intellectual effort that a lot of people who are important to me got left on the wayside, at least in my mind. In addition, I've never been very good about talking on the phone. But I want to talk more and learn more from hearing about others' experiences. That's all for now, but I may add more as I see fit. Thanks for reading. :)