Five things

[serenissima]

From eredien. "Comment to this post, and I will list five things I associate with you. They might make sense or they might be totally random. You're encouraged to post that list, with your commentary on each item, to your lj (or just add a reply back at me)."

• Adopting a Pet
  This is something I've done within the last three months. It is not a decision to be made lightly, as it places many new obligations on me. I have to walk the dog, ideally more than once a day. This is healthful exercise for me as well as for the dog, but it does mean that I can't sleep in with impunity. I have to clean up after him when he does his business. I have to sweep dog hair from all over my house. I have to take him to the veterinary clinic now and then. I take him to obedience training class at too early on Saturday morning for six weeks, and then I have to practice what we learned with him. It sounds like a lot of bother for little reward, and so far it is, but I'm glad to have given this animal a better life, and he is kind of entertaining. I don't regret the decision; I expect I'll be grateful for his companionship in the years to come.
  
  
• Writing
  Writing has faded out of my life lately, with the minor exception of this journal, and that's a shame. When I was in eighth grade, I had an English teacher who was into poetry. He introduced the class to free verse. With his encouragement, I wrote free verse poems. I carried that interest through high school and into my first year or two of college. In college, I became familiar with casual "collaborative storytelling" and wrote some light fantasy fiction in that manner. That hobby suffered when I moved back home, where Internet access was much more limited, and when the group I wrote with kind of broke up.
  
  I enjoy writing, but its attraction is less immediate than things like websurfing or video games. To be honest, I preferred the prose to the poetry. I'd like to get back into creative writing, but even more, I'd like to get back into crochet. Also, sketching, beading, and singing. I have not really made time for any creative endeavours.
  
  
• Perkiness
  This one surprised me. It's not an adjective I'd pick to describe myself. "Cheerful," yes. "Perky?" I suppose I may sometimes come across that way. Actually, I don't tend to get excited over most things, and even when I am excited, I'm not terribly expressive about my emotions. There was a meme I did a long time ago that told me I resemble the flavor of something boring... I can't remember whether it was bread, tea, or milk, and I can't find the post now.
  
  
• Home Decorating
  I'm also surprised to have this concept associated with me, but I confess to a weakness for home decorating magazines. I like to imagine living in a home that looks like the picture. When out shopping at a discount store, I gravitate toward the department with toss pillows, candles, and pretty things to hang on the wall. However, I try to resist the urge to buy such things, because I'm pretty sure the best steps I can take to make my home feel more comfortable and look photo-ready are cleaning and tidying. Ideally, I'd like my home to be filled with interesting memorabilia from exotic places and colorful accessories, yet retain a light, airy, uncluttered atmosphere.
  
  
• Living a Balanced Life
  What is a balanced life? Balanced in what way? I think for most of us, this means our job balanced against everything else. My limited work experience so far has taught me that I don't want my job to infringe upon the rest of my life at all: when I leave the office, I shouldn't have to think about anything work-related again until I walk in again the next morning.
  
  On the other hand, I'd like a job that accomplishes something I consider meaningful and worthwhile, and I recognize that that may sometimes require extra effort from me, maybe even after hours. Once in a while is all right, but ordinarily, evenings and weekends should be my own time. I use that time to take care of myself: strengthen relationships with my family, educate and entertain myself, exercise, clean my house... activities to keep myself and those I care about comfortable, happy, and healthy.
  
  Balance can also mean "everything in moderation." For example, mental activity can be balanced with physical activity, and mindless pursuits like watching television can be balanced with brain-stretches like reading a difficult book or playing a strategy game of some kind (Scrabble anyone?). Towards the end of my college career, I was taking only math- and science-related classes, and I enjoyed being on the staff of the literary magazine and reviewing writing submissions as a foil to all the math.
  
  Another compromise to remember is balancing your own needs against other people's needs. I know some people tend to overextend themselves giving and helping and become exhausted, while others concentrate on themselves and end up lonely. I probably lean toward the latter, although not to the point that I think it's a problem for me.

Anyway! That took me a while to write. If you read the whole thing, I hope you found it interesting. :) I'll supply five terms to anyone else who wants them — I guess that will be a lot quicker than explaining my own.

Comments

[eredien]

Thanks! That was really interesting to read.