As usual, an array of links!
The whole list
Track my progress via Google doc
This month's list-related activities:
- I took one photo every day in April (#76)
- I documented my spending daily (#56)
- I gave blood (#43)
- I ran a trail race (#2)
- I memorized a poem (#96)
- I scheduled a dentist appointment
- I cooked and walked
Highlight: I memorized all 139 words of E.E. Cummings' "I carry your heart with me." This was very hard at first and I have new respect for actors who memorize lines all the time and then perform their lines convincingly. It was also much more fun than I expected, to break the poem down word by word and think about each one as I memorized it. I stuck the poem front and center on my fridge, which made it easy to do most of the work in the morning while I was eating breakfast and getting my lunch packed. Josh also had a field day substituting words for the real words, which E.E. Cummings probably did not intend but made for a funny month in our home. I love this poem.
Hurdle: I did not officially eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily for 10 consecutive days. I did start gently keeping track and I probably got close most days. I wanted to tackle this challenge before the summer produce rolls in and it's way easier to do this, but I'll just have to try again.
Highlight: I found a way to record my spending habits in a Google document. Earlier in the month, I had coffee with a friend who had completely sliced away at her credit card debt by implementing that trick where you withdraw cash each week and only spend that designated cash. It was inspiring. (And then she convinced me that I need Lasik next year, but that's another story.) Anyway, I charted out my expenses in the document and then highlighted them in different colors for different categories: orange for money I spent out with friends, green for purchases that were totally fine, blue for purchases that were wasteful or stemmed from lack of planning and red for impulse. It gave me lots to think about, helped keep me accountable just by writing it down, and provided a good benchmark for making a budget (coming up later on the list).
Hurdle: I forgot I had vowed to renew my passport this month! Oops.
Hurdle: I botched my send-a-card-weekly effort again early in the month. Rats.
Progress report:
Items complete: 12/101
Items in progress: 16/101
Coming up:
This month I will continue my ongoing projects. I will also:
#20 Eat five fruits and vegetables every day for 10 days
[Begin] #46 Eat or shop at 10 new-to-me local businesses in Minneapolis
[Begin] #92 Read five classic books
[Begin] #23 Visit the dentist at least four times.
What about you, Reader? What poem would you like to commit to memory? Any restaurant recommendations for me? What classic book should I start reading?
I'm impressed: ee cummings is difficult to memorize because of his poem structure. that's one of my favorites though, and I insist on a recitation!
ReplyDeleteWalden by Thoreau would be a good one; Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; or what about something by Shakespeare? A Midsummer's Night Dream is one of my favorites.
Oh, my, I thought momentarily that you meant I should try Walden or Huck Finn for my next memorization exercise. Whew.
DeletePutting them on my list! Thanks for the recommendations!