Intentions

When you are young, you search for things to do with all of your free time. However, as you get older, you search for time to do all of the things you want to do with the life you have left. Thus is born the aptly titled "fully intend to do list."

My fully intend to do list, like most, is comprised of things I want to do before I depart this life. But, based on the day of the week, the weather, my health, my finances, excuses, and variable circumstances beyond my control, some items appear to be within reach and others, not so much. Nonetheless, all things written on said list are achievable, once I make up my mind to do them. For at the end of the day, it's what I actually do, not what I intend to do, that makes the difference.

A Poke of Tomatoes

I ventured out to the grocery store the other day to pick up a few items. As I pushed the wobbly shopping cart through the produce section, my eyes landed on a display of tomatoes, ripe and ready for purchase. For a second, I hesitated as I thought about placing a couple of them in a plastic grocery bag to buy. Then I remembered how great it felt this summer to walk out to my garden, and load up a paper poke* with tomatoes. No traffic, no fighting for a parking space, no long lines, and no exaggerated prices. Just fresh tomatoes at a moments notice.

Thus, with a small smile and a defiant stride, I swung the buggy around and headed over to the bread isle, determined to plant more tomatoes next year, and to start saving paper pokes.

*Where I'm from, a poke is a sack or a bag.

The Academic Gardener

When I was in graduate school, one of the books I was required to read was Gregory Colòn Semenza's Graduate Study for the 21st Century: How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities.

In this text, Semenza provides a thorough discussion of time management as it relates to graduate study. In order to maximize time and produce successful results, Semenza encourages students to prioritize their academic activities, such as research, writing, and teaching.  He also suggests that time be set aside for personal interests, such as spending time with family, exercising, and pursuing hobbies.

According to Semenza, hobbies such as gardening or listening to music should not be viewed as pointless, but rather necessary to those seeking a well-balanced academic experience. The takeaway? Gardening and other hobbies provide relaxation and stability, even in the most hectic lives!

Works Cited


Semenza, Gregory Colòn. Graduate Study for the 21st Century: How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities. Palgrave MacMillan, 2005. Second edition, 2010.

Tree Gazing

For as long as I can remember, I've been enamored with trees. When I was a kid, I stared at the big trees in our yard, climbed the medium-sized ones, and cut butt-whacking switches from the saplings when instructed by my Dad to do so.

As an adult, I still gaze at trees. Oftentimes, I marvel at their stateliness and dignity. Regardless of the season or meteorological conditions, whether standing upright or lying in a prone position, trees make their presence known. And although my climbing days are over, and I haven't cut a switch in years, I will always be fascinated by trees.
 

  

What's in a Color?

If you subscribe to the notion that certain colors can impact your mood, you're probably more in-tune with your inner self than I am (my father-in-law, for example, refuses to sleep on red sheets because he believes they will elevate his blood pressure). That being said, my favorite color is blue, and while I don't put much stock in colorology, I do feel a certain sense of calmness when looking up at an azure sky or gazing intently at a blueberry muffin.

Nevertheless, this Summer, I started to notice the color green and all its varying shades. In fact, I spent many an afternoon atop my riding mower (which is yellow, and named after Bumblebee from the Transformers movies), studying my lawn and trees from different angles, marveling at how their unique hues emphasized my colorful gardens and flowerbeds.

Now that Autumn is here and my trees, shrubs, and grass are turning caramel in color, I'll pull on my blue jeans and matching sweater, and attempt to appreciate all things orange, brown, and gold. Perhaps I'll find inspiration while eating a pecan pie, or strolling through a pumpkin patch. Who knows? Something might hit me, out of the blue.