Sketchism

Ah the joys of summer. I’m getting back into the healthy habits I missed so much, even some new ones I’ve starting to maintain. Allow me to list them:

• Declutter – I have way too much crap in my room and closets. It’s been fun to throw old papers out, magazines, worthless collections of plastic nonsense, and anything that falls under the miscellaneous category of my life.


• Excercise – When the fall semester started getting real intense, this activity went out the window. I’ve gained some pounds in the past 3 months and now its time to reclaim my body. I’m making it a goal to run at least twice a week and hit up at least 3 martial arts classes per week. Today was boxing and I’m glad to say I sparred a good 6 rounds. If anybody wants to get a few games of basketball or paintball going, hit me up.


• Focus – Going on my Social Networking sabbatical was a smart move. It made me realize that the world was doing just fine without me checking my messages every five seconds. Keeping track of everyone’s life is a full time distraction, and I’ve suffered because of it: professionally and spiritually. I no longer go to myspace or virb while I’m at work. Plus I deleted my facebook account. And I’ve turned off any instant messengers while I’m at the office as well. Now I can focus on the tasks at hand. Social sites are restricted to the evenings at home now, including any blogs that I subscribe to via Google Reader. Another rule I’ve set for myself… No turning on my home computer in the morning. Instead, I’ll use my time to excercise, pray, and do some Bible studying. Which brings me to my next habit…


• Spiritual Walk – Church attendence is back in priority. I’ll be attending Sunday services, my Tuesday night prayer group, and Friday night philosophy discussions. So far I’ve actually been able to attend other church functions that I’ve been invited to, but for now it’s back to basics. Also, I’ve reserved my mornings for Bible reading. One psalm, one proverb chapter, and one New Testament chapter minimum. I can always read more if I’m so inclined, but I need to be consistent again.


• Socialize - So far basketball, birthday parties, dinner, visiting my grandmother, and going to the movies have brought back a joy in my soul that I have been lacking for far too long. It’s time to get offline and in front of some smiling faces again. Planning on going to a concert? Traveling to Orlando for the weekend? Want to grab a cup of coffee? Interested in that new restaurant down the street? Hit me up. But let me know in advance. I’ve got a few social outtings lined up already.


• Organize – One of the greatest mysteries for me has always been how my room manages to become a mess. I think I’ve figured it out. The room is evil and smarter than me. That, or the mess happens in small increments which in the moment seem to be unimportant. My biggest room-related problems have always included stacks of random papers, unopened mail, piles of clothes on (but not restricted to) the floor or bed, and cups. Tons and tons of cups. In fact, as I type this I can see one coffee cup taunting me from the top of my dresser. It, too, is evil. Well now I have a daily goal to get rid of all that crap from my presence. Before I go to bed, I make sure that junk mail is tossed, cups are put in the sink (maybe I’ll even wash it and put it away), fresh clothing is stacked or hung in the closet and dirty clothing is placed in the hamper. I can sleep better knowing my belongings won’t ambush me in the middle of the night.


• Read – I’m a magazine kind of guy. It’s almost embarrassing to admit that. Books are uncomfortable for me at home because there isn’t a seat comfortable enough for me to read my book on. Reading in bed hurts my neck whether I’m laying down or sitting up. The living room couch is comfy but someone is usually watching spanish news which annoys the hell out of me. And reading in my back patio attracts too many flies. No sir, it’s audiobooks for me now. I’ve already gone through 4 books while driving to my weekly destinations: Teacher Man, Perelandra, The Great Divorce, and The Four Hour Work Week. My initial New Years resolution was to read 6 books this year. That will be a breeze at this rate. I may have to double my goal. I’ve downloaded all the books via Audible.com. And I’ve just found a FREE resource for classic literature in audio format. Librivox.com is your one-stop shop (hardly a shop when everything is free) for books and documents that are in the public domain. I have yet to download a book from here yet, but it should be fun to get a few classics under my belt. The Teaching Company also has some incredible lecture series on sale every season. I’m wrapping up Professor Patrick Grim’s Questions of Value series. Each 30-minute lecture is challenging and enlightening. Buy a series and get your mind muscles flexing.


• Art – I’ve got time now to explore my artistic talents and ideas, especially with 2 new sketchbooks (thanks Nat and Steph). My goal is to fill them both up by the end of the summer. No excuses. Painting, drawing, collaging, nothing is too radical or simple for my sketchbooks. I also have my Munnys to finish creating. My first one is about 1/3rd finished. I’ll post pictures when he is done.


• Goal Setting – Life is too short to allow it to slip out of your hands. I’m making travel plans, updating my life goals, listing languages I want to learn, writing down what I want to accomplish in the next 6 to 12 months, even reconsidering the kind of woman I want to marry. The Lord put an amibitious spirit inside of me. It’s time to feed it.

I think that sums up what my summer plans are for the moment. The next two months will be the most productive months of my life at this point. I’m excited go get the wheels spinning. Why haven’t you done the same?