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Feeding All the Parts

Take Time Soul HappyFinishing 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!

nothing-ever-grows-comfort-zone-inspirational-quotes-sayings-picturesAnd, 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.