Goals for this spring and summer

~ photo credit: Johnny Crawford ~

This winter has been so long. I am eagerly looking forward to spring. Today it's going to be near the 40's, so I might go for a walk. The temperatures around here have been hovering far below the freezing mark for quite some time, and we just got 22 inches of snow this weekend. I haven't gotten out of the house much this winter. Although a couple weeks ago, I did go with Karl to his work party. I was too ill to go to his work party last year, but this time I felt fine. There was dancing, drinking, lots of socializing. Gosh, I didn't know how much I missed meeting new people and actually having conversations. I was up on the dance floor a lot, dancing with some of the other ladies there, and sometimes with Karl. It felt amazing being dressed up and out in company.

 

Since I'm feeling much better now than I did previous summers, my goal for this spring and summer is to get out there and grab ahold of life as much as possible.

OK, so I'd love to volunteer at one of the local horse stables around here. Get this, there are five of them within 10-25 minutes from my home! There weren't many horse farms open to the public where I used to live. I've hit the jack pot living here! One of the horse farms is looking for volunteers to help children with special needs as they get on and off their horses. I could totally see myself doing that. Down the road, as my health improves more, I'd like to start taking riding lessons myself!

I also want to volunteer at this no kill animal shelter near my place. I just found out that this animal shelter is situated within walking distance of the very same walking and biking trail that runs in front of my house. I could ride my bike down this trail and volunteer there. This could be the ideal set up! There is a section of highway between the animal shelter and the trail that I would have to navigate, but I think that will be fine.

Volunteering is an interesting business. You are usually expected to commit to a set schedule. I still don't know how I will feel on any particular day; at this point I can only predict if a day will be good or not until that actual day. I also don't know if my morning or afternoon will be fine until I am in that moment. Hah hah. I will specialize in the spontaneous "drop in" kind of volunteering.
 

Goals for this spring and summer:

 

1. Get a tan.

  
2. Sit out in nature on my patio for long periods of time in the sun just BE-ing.

 

3. Practicing mindfulness while walking on the trail. Going for long walks.

4. Tuning in to myself and my intuition.

5. Sitting outside in the sun listening to the four or five books I  have waiting for me on Audible that I haven't listened to...yet.

 

6. Planting ivy to cover the old broken down wall in front of our house, and the stone wall in the back of the house.

7. Sprucing up the butterfly garden in our yard.

 

8. Volunteering at the no kill animal shelter down the road.
 

9. Volunteering at the one horse stable where they need people to help children with special needs get on and off horses after their lessons.

10. Opening up an Etsy shop where I plan to sell pencil drawings.

 11. Getting to know and hopefully visit with the 87 year old neighbor lady next door.

 

12. Sharing plant cuttings with my other neighbor who works in a garden center and gets plant samples that she may or may not pass on to me. Hee hee.