Interest vs. Commitment

I recently came across this thought and once again, someone has put into words what I've often questioned/thought about. Just because I'm interested in something doesn't mean I'm meant to live it or experience it.

I have lots of interests... resourceful crafting, upcycling, gardening, homesteading, running, eating healthfully, traveling, creating art, outdoor living... and I could go on! I don't think there's anything at all wrong with trying out the things I'm interested in. At one point I was very intrigued with tiny house living. We experienced that in our RV. We lived very well in a small space BUT after living that small for a year, we realized we like a bit more space! So yes, I was interested; tried it; and realized that it is something I'm not committed to.

Same thing with gardening: I LOVE the idea of having a functional garden (doesn't even have to be extravagant or beautiful) where we would eat a lot of our meals from and therefore save money at the grocery store. BUT when it comes down to all the work it takes to maintain a garden here in Central Texas... yea, not committed. It was actually pretty easy and convenient to have a garden in Colorado - no bugs, short growing season, rare 100-degree temps) and I did enjoy it there because of the convenience of it!

This goes right along with something else I've been wrestling with... Just because something is fun for someone else doesn't mean it's fun for me. I've got to stop trying to enjoy the things I wish I enjoyed and start enjoying the things I actually enjoy doing! I want to enjoy homesteading and gardening and living off the land and maybe even living off grid... but that's just not me. And I don't think any amount of work I do to try and change what I like will help me like it more. If something is fun for me, then I will look forward to doing it and find it energizing, not draining.

God made me the way I am for a purpose. Who am I to deny who he made me to be because I want to be someone else. Or even like someone else! There is no one like me anywhere. I can choose what I do but I cannot choose what I like to do. I need to relinquish my fantasies of what I wished I found fun and that will allow me more room to do the things that I do find fun! I am happier when I accept my own real likes and dislikes, instead of trying to decide what I ought to like.

53 things

1. See a live starfish in its natural habitat. Hold one if I can?
2. Try stand up paddle-boarding
3. Visit Asheville, NC
4. Visit Charleston SC
5. Visit Savannah GA
6. Get a tattoo
7. Buy coffee for the person behind me at a drive thru Starbucks
8. Sit by a fire on the beach
9. Go to a drive-in movie theater
10. Walk barefoot in the rain
11. Knit a pair of socks
12. Go on a dinner cruise
13. Take a cooking class
14. Attend a yoga class or two
15. Read 52 books 
16. Volunteer at a food bank
17. Make a patchwork skirt
18. Refashion 12 clothing items
19. Attend/participate in an art journaling class
20. Attend the State Fair of Texas
21. Blog once a week
22. Take more photos
23. One month challenges x 12
24. Visit St. Augustine, FL
25. Go ziplining
26. grow out my gray hair - no more fake color!
27. Paint master bedroom
28. Paint master bathroom
29. Paint studio
30. Make the back patio a place I love to be
31. Send out happy mail at least once a month
32. Give baked goodies to someone once a month
33. Make grilled pizza
34. Make creme brulee
35. See a concert at Nutty Brown Cafe
36. See a concert at Stubbs BBQ
37. Chicken Fried Steak at Threadgills
38. Eat at Shady Grove
39. Camp at Inks Lake
40. Camp at Canyon Lake
41. See King George one last time
42. See NYC at Christmastime
43. Explore metal stamping
44. Run a 5k (once a year as long as I can!)
45. Run a color run
46. Get a stamp in my passport
47. Make a Pinterest project, or two
48. Sip coffee on the back patio and watch the sun rise
49. Visit Mary's Finds
50. Browse at Uptown Country
51. Attend an auction
52. Attend a Lampasas Warehouse sale
53. Live every day like the adventure it is!

Whew! Here's to an exciting year!

No longer a slave to Starbucks...

I have not been to Starbucks in about 6 months... and even in the last year and a half I've been probably a total of 7-10 times. Coming from an almost "every day" habit, this is so freeing!

Today I ventured into the "big city" for a day of fun for me. I had a free drink for my birthday thanks to Starbucks so that was my first stop. I've had the Starbucks app on my phone for a while now but never used it like it is supposed to be used. When I approached the cashier, I told him that I had a birthday reward but had never used the app so he needed to guide me! It was very simple and so very cool! I even used the balance of a gift card I've had for over a year right from my phone! VERY COOL! So I ordered THE drink of the season, Pumpkin Spice Latte and my old favorite, an old-fashioned doughnut. I waited for my drink, then because I arrived early enough in the morning, I headed outside to enjoy it. It was still in the upper 70's at this time so it was quite pleasant outside.

Yea... the PSL was okay, but really not something I'd pay for these days. It almost tasted "fake". It's hard to describe but had a chemical-y taste to it. I didn't even finish it which is disappointing. But in that same breath I'm so happy that I've finally broken away from the bondage of Starbucks!

52 things before I turn 52

On my last birthday I had this grand idea to list 52 things I wanted to do before my next birthday. We were on the road traveling and a lot of this list were places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do. Once we settled back in a sticks and bricks, I knew I could still accomplish some of them. Well, life takes over (living life to the fullest #52) and most of what was remaining didn't get done. But I'm proud of the things I did do! If I hadn't thoughtfully made out this list I probably wouldn't have done half of what I did do!

Am I doing another list of 53 things I want to do before I turn 53? No, not quite. We are revising our bucket list but I doubt there will be 53 things. But maybe there will be!

1. See a live starfish in its natural habitat. Hold one if I can?
2. Try stand up paddle-boarding
3. Kayak a river or lake
4. Run a 5k race once a month at least for the rest of our travels, if we can find a race that works for us. (I did run a 5k distance in September but nothing that far since then… I’ve lost my enthusiasm for running!)
5. Visit Washington, DC
6. Visit Asheville, NC
7. Visit Charleston SC
8. Visit Savannah GA
9. Visit as many "homies" as I can (Kristen, Crystal)
10. Get a tattoo
11. Make a supper and invite any "late-arriving" camper that is close to us to share it with us.
12. Make soap in our RV (in our home)
13. Spend the day in Central Park in NY
14. Highlight my hair with a wild color
15. Buy coffee for the person behind me at a drive thru Starbucks
16. Finish my granny square quilt ( my goal for September 2013)

    

    The last "square"

17. Finish my scrap knitted scarf
18. Bake treats for grumpy campground hosts (or friendly ones if we don't encounter any grumpy ones) How about pumpkin bread for the guys at the Collision Shop we lived at for almost a week?
19. One month of primal/paleo eating
20. Swim/wade in the Atlantic Ocean
21. Lie on a beach and read
22. Run on the beach
23. Recover the valances in our RV
24. Make covers for the dinette benches
25. Figure out some kinda cover for the loveseat
26. Buy fresh eggs from a roadside stand or have our own chickens!
    
27. Eat New York pizza
28. Eat shrimp and grits
29. Eat vegetarian for a month
30. Sit by a fire on the beach
31. Cook a meal over a fire
32. Go to a drive-in movie theater
33. Walk barefoot in the rain
34. Knit a pair of socks
35. Drive the truck pulling the RV!
36. Switch "jobs" with D for an arrival/departure day
37. Go on a dinner cruise
38. Try a new-to-me kinda food/restaurant (Indian, Thai, etc.)
39. Take a cooking class
40. Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
41. Attend a yoga class or two
42. Read 52 books (40* read)
43. Be a work camper somewhere
44. Volunteer at a food bank
45. Make a patchwork skirt
46. Hoop every day for a month (happening this month)
    
47. Make a dream catcher
48. Refashion 12 clothing items (I've done 2)
49. Allow D to pick a challenge for me and do it! YIKES!
50. Spend Christmas in Florida Texas with my kids
51. Go to an art exhibit or art museum
52. Live every day like the adventure it is! Wherever we are!

 *books read:

1. The Gutter – Where Life is Meant to be Lived, Craig Goss
2. A Watershed Year, Susan Schoenberger
3. Practical Theology for Women, Wendy Horger Alsup
4. Crazy Love, Francis Chan
5. The Reunion, Dan Walsh
6. The Power of Half, Kevin Salwen
7. Hollywood Nobody, Lisa Samson
8. The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks
9. Touching Wonder, Jon Blasé
10. Finding Joy, Charlotte Davis Kasl
11. Hold Love Strong, Matthew Aaron Goodman
12. The Trouble with Angels, Debbie Macomber
13. Finding Hollywood Nobody, Lisa Samson
14. The Power of a Praying Wife, Stormie Omartian
15. Far From Home, Anne Degrace
16. Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain
17. Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self, Sarah Ban Breathnach
18. The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, Mark Buchanan
19. 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, Ann Voskamp
20. The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin
21. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, Jen Hatmaker
22. Imperfect Birds, Anne Lamott
23. Bread & Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, N.T. Wrights
24. The Next Always, Nora Roberts
25. Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Joanne Fluke
26. Vintage Veronica, Erica S. Perl
27. My One Word: Change Your Life with Just One Word, Mike Ashcraft
28. Trailersteading: Voluntary Simplicity in a Mobile Home, Anna Hess
29. Mourning Gloria, Susan Wittig Albert
30. Cat's Claw, Susan Wittig Albert
31. The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree, Susan Wittig Albert
32. The Last Boyfriend, Nora Roberts
33. Summer on Blossom Street, Debbie Macomber
34. On the Island, Tracey Garvis-Graves
35. Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
36. What the Bible Says About Healthy Living, Rex Russell
37. Simply From Scratch, Alicia Bessette
38. The Accidental Mother, Rowan Coleman
39. The Middlesteins, Jami Attenberg
40. Going Gray, Anne Kreamer