Life To The Fullest

Time. It's of the essence.

Life is short. Friends, family, and the little napkins at Caribou are all encouraging us to take advantage of our time and use it wisely. Life to the fullest, Jesus calls it.

Lately, I've been thinking more about this concept of time. It goes so fast. Everyone gets the same 24-hour period. Then how do some people do so much and others do so little? Why do the days, weeks, and months fly by so quickly? It's so easy to waste time. On the other hand, it can be tempting to place too much emphasis on being productive, to prioritize things that need to be done over people who need to be loved.

So I've been thinking. I need to live more fully. Not just do more things, but be more present, more engaged, more captivated. I want to pursue every passion, every interest, every creative spark that my Creator put in me. Here's what I've come up with so far:

• photography - yes, I know it's the trendy thing to be into. Buuuuuut, I liked it before it was cool, so I get half-credit at least. The thing is, my photographic abilities seem to come in spurts that are few and far between. I'm registered for a photography class this summer, and I'm hoping that will cultivate my skills (or lack thereof).
• theatre - I live in an artsy city with lots of free (!!!) opportunities. I feel like I need to take advantage of them.
• music - Errrr...I tend to get into musical ruts where I find an artist I like or make a great playlist, only to listen to it exclusively for a couple months then move on. I want to expand my musical horizons beyond what I know or am familiar with. Any classy suggestions?
• crocheting - I used to know how to crochet, and I loved  it! But then I forgot how to turn corners, so I would just make long ropes out of yarn and pull them apart when I got bored. I tried to take up knitting last summer, but dude, that's hard! I think I'll try to get a little better at what I used to be good at before I try to knit again. Pictures to come! :)
• weird foods - Ethiopian is next on the list to try. I hear it's spicy.
• crafty things - It's a broad category, I know. But here's the thing: my problem has never been creativity. I can come up with mental pictures and ideas like nobody's business. It's just that I can't seem to make the things that I dream up. To quote Mia Thermopolis, "The concept is grasped. The execution is a little elusive." I'm going to try to remedy that problem.
• books - I love reading. I really do. But when I came to school, I thought "I'll just read during breaks. I have enough reading to do for class." However, having a roommate who loves reading even more than I do has challenged the way that I think about that. She picks up a book whenever she has a few minutes to spare, which has been really inspiring for me! (She even reads me bedtime stories occassionally. It's amazing.) Again, I've let myself become lazy, and that needs to change. I'm going to challenge myself to read, even if it has to be limited, during the school year. I started with "Disciplines of a Godly Woman," which has been great so far. Ironicly, it has a long list of recommended books at the end, so I should be busy for a while! After that, any suggestions?
• running - Once upon a time, a long long time ago, I ran everyday. It was wonderful, but I got lazy. This spring, my goal is to run again. It's beautiful outside, and I want to enjoy it.

So that's my current live-more-fully list. If you see me running this spring with a camera and a crochet needle, you'll know why. What's on your list?