16 February 2010

Here Goes Nothing (or Everything, as the Case May Be!)

'Tis I, Groovy, returned from the accursed FaceBook fog of distraction and aimlessness. I have been reminded that there are folks who actually expect me to write posts on my blog occasionally instead of hourly making witty remarks on everyone else's FaceBook posts. I have also been reminded that I am a writer. As such, I need to devote time to, ya know, WRITING!

And that brings me to this blog post.

I've been exceptionally busy lately. That's one of the reasons FaceBook is such a draw for me - It's mindless and gives me the feeling that I'm "doing" something for a minimal effort. In other words, I've been tired and writing is hard work and so haven't written, which is obvious to all of my readers.

And in the midst of this flurry of activity I've been playing a little bit of that "Who am I" game. Because, let's face it, I'll never get Alzheimers. I know I won't because I am ALWAYS learning something new or pursuing some new hobby. So many things interest and fascinate me! Let's see, here's some of what i have dabbled in since I've been married (I'm sure I've forgotten plenty!):

embroidery
crochet
cross stitching
quilting
teaching needlecrafts and selling craft kit for Creative Circle at home parties (the company is now defunct; Very Sad!)
sewing clothing
sewing crafty things and household decor
mending
quilling
too many types of crafts to list

making any and every food possible from "scratch"
baking and decorating cakes for hire
catering

teaching (biology, chemistry, soup making, Bible, preschool music, a K-2 homeshcool class)
a real interest in highschool level sciences!
homeschooling my own 4 children
Brownies (as in Girl Scouts, though I like the other type of brownies just as much!)
countless church groups and events for the kids
4-H (I'm an assistant leader. Woot!)
tutoring
counseling
acting
writing (fiction and non fiction and poetry and song lyrics and skits)

singing (both solo and in groups/choirs. Both on mic and acoustically)
playing bass guitar
piano
soprano and alto recorder
hand percussion
2 classes of college level music theory

rappelling (At one time I was a rappel master - I am hoping to renew that ability soon)
long distance biking
deer hunting
target shooting
archery (but i never bought a bow. *sigh*)
snow shoeing
ice skating (twice!)
weight lifting
power walking
first aid and cpr
hiking
camping (in a tent, thank you!)
low tech mountain climbing

Blogging
Squidoo
Facebook
html (minimal!)

goat care :-)
had a variety of pets (dogs, hamsters, mice, rats, parakeets, chinchilla)
horseback riding
farm sitting and pet sitting

crossword puzzles and cryptograms
do our own taxes (No, I won't do yours. I only do ours because I am CHEAP.)
how to (sort of) read legalese in insurance policies and in tax codes.

nursing home visiting
making meals and/or cleaning house for folks going through a tough time
working as a janitor and as a housekeeper
nannying
providing day care in my home

And now? I am pursuing, hot and heavy, many types of diverse training for Search and Rescue, including winter survival, map and compass skills, rappelling, diving into icy waters in a wet suit, dangling from a helicopter, and knowing how to apply first aid and transport a bug eaten, broken legged, hypothermic victim.

The accusation that keeps coming at me, though, is that I am truly a Jane of all trades - and I am just as truly a master of none. Well, no. That's not entirely true. So here's list of the things I do exceptionally well. I only say this because these are things that others have affirmed my abilities in:

- Decorate cakes (although there is still more for me to learn and try)

- Sing (There are certainly folks who sing better than I do, but I also do well with stage presence - and that covers a multitude of imperfections!)

- Cook (I'm not an accomplished, world famous chef, but I do pretty darned well in the kitchen.)

- House cleaning (I am thorough. VERY thorough! Though not always in my own house!)

- Teaching (I'm the "fun" teacher!)

- Acting (I played Satan when i was 5 months pregnant. Yes, really.)

- Writing (I'm not great, but I seem to have a knack for making people smile.)

Things I still want to learn/do:

- Complete my SAR training
- Start rescuing people! :-)
- Sky dive
- Own a dairy goat farm (with some chickens and a dog and some barn cats and...)
- Complete and publish my YA novels
- Publish my skits
- Record an album
- Sing lead-up to a large name Christian Band ;-)
- Take lyrical ballet and perform to the NewsBoys
- Weigh 120 pounds again ;-)
- Make another 20 high quality Squidoo lenses
- learn classical Arabic
- learn how to type correctly (I am working on it now...Thank you, Mavis.)
- learn how to make/decorate with fondant.
- make an heirloom quilt for each of my kids (very SIMPLE heirloom quilts)
- take college science classes.
- memorize Ephesians (and Romans and Colossians and pretty much the whole rest of the New Testament!)
- learn how my camera actually works.
- and, And, AND..............................

So, I'm too interested and too interesting to settle down to one or two good things and master them. This is a great source of frustration for me right now. I just want to slooooooooow down.

What to do? What to do...

5 comments:

Keetha Broyles said...

Ah Ha!!! It is the "dark side" of Facebook that has spirited you away from blogland.

Susan said...

Wheeeee I'm tired.

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Okay I need a nap now! LOL!

Carla Gade said...

This is what makes you so groovy, you are such a multi-faceted person. And I can attest to the house cleaning and cooking, you are the best!

Blessings,
Carla
http://writingtodistraction.blogspot.com

Dawn said...

This made me very tired! You're so right about FB - it's pretty surface, and we miss your writing.

I did so many of the Creative Circle kits - my walls were full of them. I even thought about being an agent.