Hobbies and Hibernation

After the excitement of Christmas, it can be a bit challenging to find something to be excited about. Winter is cold, long, and sometimes lonely. Going out is either challenging or downright dangerous, depending on the weather, and days are kept short by the quick descent of the sun. I admit, after all the holiday excitement this all presented itself as rather bleak by my estimation.

However, that is why we can get excited about the new year, making resolutions and setting goals to create interest in these days! 

In recent years, I have not had much luck setting goals and keeping them. What with classes and deadlines and the unpredictability of my schedule, creating any sort of routine or trying new things simply did not happen. 

Now, however, I have quite a bit of free time (when I'm not at work) to fill with such things as I please. While it's tempting (and I often give in) to curl up under a blanket and binge-watch tv shows on Netflix, I will quickly go insane with the restlessness that builds up inside me. In the summer I could use up this energy by going for a walk or run, getting outside (oh nature, how I miss thee!), but right now with below-freezing temperatures threatening me, going outside is the last thing I want to do. 

So I work out in my apartment! Staying fit is important to me, and I find that exercising creates more energy if you keep it up, so pushing myself to stay committed to kickboxing and pilates has been a priority. 

Aside from needing physical exercise, my brain also requires a workout. This is where setting goals came in. With more time to spend on random undertakings, I realize that I developed quite a few hobbies when I was in high school - hobbies that fell by the wayside during my college years. Rediscovering these has been inspiring and rewarding, and I have made many plans for creative "projects" that will keep me busy throughout the winter months. 

First up? Making a simple quilt! Yesterday I spent my afternoon cutting out little squares, and I am excited to lay them out and see how it will look. I'm not a quilter by any means, but I am perfectly capable of making a colorful blanket that will make my evenings more cozy! 

Other creative projects I have in the works: 

~learning to draw (I love to paint water colors, but I would like to draw my own pictures to paint. Hence this goal! Today I started working on a fairy drawing book, which was very fun!) 

~scrapbook my college years (Haven't started this one yet, but I would like to document the four years that swept by in a blur!) 

~Writing (what you see on this blog is the result of pushing myself to write more. It's good for me to work on expressing my thoughts clearly, so here is where I can practice!) 

~Costumes (I have a couple costume projects in the works - more on that to come at a later date!) 

For more educational purposes, I have also challenged myself to study German this year, which I have already made a good start on. I've always wanted to learn other languages, and I have a dream of traveling to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland someday, so why not explore the language now!

I'm also developing a book list to work on throughout the year. 

Another larger goal of mine was to join a prayer group or bible study, and I just signed up for one yesterday! I'm excited for it to begin. 

This post has not been overly organized, but I'm just excited about all the things that are beginning. Now, rather than feeling overwhelmed with how cold and dreary the days are, I almost feel overwhelmed with how many things I want to be doing and choosing which project to undertake first!


"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." ~Laura Ingalls Wilder