Finishing my Ph.D. and my teacher certification classes last year freed up some time. I’m starting to get into a nice routine.
Practice languages (French & Spanish with DuoLingo and Memrise).
Check!
Practice guitar (partially using a class from Udemy).
Check!
Lesson plan and grade
Sometimes check. (Depends on how far ahead I am at any given moment…)
I’ve been thinking about painting, but I haven’t actually put it in practice. Same with working on more organized writing projects.
But even with languages and guitar playing, I like the challenge. I like that I’m building my callouses back up. I like that I’m getting faster on my fretboard, and I’m learning more chords.
I currently hate bar chords. F and Gmin can F-off… I shall conquer them this time though. I vow this!! I will not relent!
I like that I’m learning more in French and Spanish.
Bonne nuit! Y buenas noches!
And, you know what? It’s hard.
Currently, I can sort of play guitar. I can pick around on a few songs. I can sing along with a few fewer.
I want to be able to play. To play well. Maybe I won’t be Jimi Hendrix or Peppino D’Agostino (a little here and here), but I want to be able to get around the fret board to accompany my singing.
I know that will take work. It will take work that I never really invested in all of the years I’ve owned a guitar.
Ditto with languages.
When people ask if I speak French, I say I can get around. And I can. In Paris, Rennes, Strasbourg, I’ve always been able to get around. I want to be able to swim more than dog-paddle…
Spanish is newer, but ditto on that front.
I love exploring these different facets of myself. They’ve been hidden for a long time by other time constraints, occasionally surfacing through other obligations. Work towards my Ph.D. had to get done.
And it did.
Now I take the time to feed all of the parts of me.
It feels good.