The article came be found here: http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/07/08/50-fun-self-improvement-projects-to-assign-yourself-this-summer/
This blog started as a self-improvement project to improve my writing and dedication to writing and now over a year later I am glad I have kept it up. Hint, hint...
Summer is the perfect time to try something new that you think about doing during the school year but a huge list of other priorities always pops up. I am impressed by this list that includes 50 different ideas and people with numerous interests could get some inspiration from this article. It is divided into categories with ideas pertaining to each category.
In the Arts section two of my favorite suggestions are to write your autobiography and to tackle a "Best Novels" list. Sometimes when I tell some of my friends a quirky story about my life they inform me that I have to write it in my memoir. At this rate my future memoir will be a series. Yesterday, my friend Abbie told me the books she has read this summer (a whopping 11 so far) and one of which she found on a list that college women should read. I found another list that the Huffington Post compiled for some suggestions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/best-books-college-students_n_721365.html#s141789&title=Flatland_by_Edwin. One of my favorite books that takes about 45 minutes to read is "The House on Mango Street." Its a perfect summer read, including the fact that a lovely summer fruit is in the title, but also that you can read it during a quick break from swimming at a lake.
The next section of the article is Food and Health. One of the ideas is listed as "Acquaint yourself with wine." I love how that is worded. My friend Cady and I visited a local winery a couple weeks ago. Calico Skies is just south of Sioux Falls in what may be the most beautiful building in this state and every person I know should go there. We got to sample about 6 wines and then enjoyed a glass. My goal is to be able to identify wines beyond how my friend Adam would describe them... "Well, that's winey."
And because I am just that informative today check out Calico Skies website here: http://www.calicoskieswine.com/
My other favorite idea in the Food and Health section of this article was to explore yoga. For comic relief I suggest doing yoga in the backyard or front yard if you are really daring and see how your neighbors react. Win Win! Since yoga and laughter are both so good for us!
The next section was simply listed as safety. I wasn't able to relate since I am always living on the edge. Haha totally kidding. One of the suggestions was to take up Krav Maga which I guess is a grown-up, uber-serious Tae Kwon Do. Or if you are me you can just go to your sister's boyfriend's Martial Arts class that he teaches and get some more comic relief from watching the little kids grunt and punch the air with all their might...
The fourth section was Communication. The first suggestion was to learn Morse Code which seems a tad unnecessary but just the other day I watched the episode of The Office in which Jim and Pam take a Morse Code class with the sole intention to irritate Dwight. So I guess if you have a Dwight-like character in your life, this would be an excellent way to spend your summer! The other suggestion that I really liked in the Communication section was to learn new vocabulary words. My mom discovered the word, aisling, which is Gaelic for dream. Lovely.
The next section is Home and Garden which should apply to me since I am the first born of the world's greenest thumb. So obviously the suggestion that says "Start a Garden" should excite me. But I do love picking out flowers with my mom and strolling around greenhouses and having different smells of flowers waft into my nose. I love watching my mom plant those flowers and she puts as much consideration into the colors that go into a single pot that a professional painter would consider when picking and mixing paint colors.
The other suggestion I enjoyed in this section was to build a rocking chair. Ok, I really don't have any desire to build or even own a rocking chair. But I love spending my summers watching my grandpa work on his various crafty-man projects and this summer will include welding a torch for our Olympic-themed Viking Days homecoming celebration so I guess that could be in the same category...
Technology of course took up its own section and again, this isn't really up my alley. However I think there is so much we can learn from technology and I am in awe of the way it connects us with the rest of the world. My friend Katie left the other day for a month-long trek around the world and luckily she is keeping a blog so I can be in the know about her awesome trip. This post is getting link-happy so here is a link to her lovely blog: http://asummerwithmysiblings.blogspot.com/
The final section of this article was titled "Miscellaneous" which I think could be renamed to "Pinterest-It-Up." Make those lace-trimmed shorts! Paint your own lamp shade! Create your own stationary and wax seal! Make your own clutch out of placemats! You get the idea..
I also like the idea of learning how to tie a necktie. I feel as though men look at this skill as a step to becoming a grownup. And women, as independent as we view ourselves, we like the idea of knowing how to tie a man's necktie.
This article is a very well, compiled list that could inspire nearly anyone to stretch their skills and imagination! Use these 100-or-so days to learn something new that you are able to do and didn't even realize it!
My sister had this as a Facebook status the other day that seems perfect for this post and to use as a mantra.
“Your 20s are your ‘selfish’ years. It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker with shit, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground.”
—Kyoko Escamilla
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