What I Learned: Summer 2017

I’m starting a new blog post series, inspired by Emily at EmilyPFreeman.com. At the end of each season, she shares a list of things she learned from silly to sacred, and everything in between.

I’ve enjoyed these posts and thought it might be fun review my summer and share here.

Creating this list can help you create intentional time to pause and reflect upon what worked, what didn’t, and what changes you would like to make for the future. That is always a good habit to develop and something highly recommended in one of my favorite books, Essentialism, which you can read about here, and here.

So, I’m joining in the fun, here is my Summer 2017 edition.

1. “Real” Books, you know the paper ones you hold in your hand, rock.

I’ve been an avid reader most of my life. Sadly, once I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I’ve found that reading for fun has become a luxury.

I rarely buy Kindle books, and when I do, they are short, quick read type of books. Audiobooks, on the other hand, I love them, perfect companions on my frequent road trips.

Last month I pulled a great a favorite sci-fi/fantasy book off my bookshelf that I hadn’t read in years, and completely enjoyed it once again.

Couple of things to note a) I am a frequent re-reader of my favorite books, and b) I’m thoroughly enjoying having ALL my books unpacked and on bookshelves for the first time in years.

There is nothing like getting lost in a great book. The smell of the ink, and the feel of the paper as you turn from page to page. I need to make more time in my life of reading for fun.

2. I Still Love To Camp

I always have but, the past couple of years I haven’t been able to go. It’s something I’ve greatly missed. Thankfully, I finally made it out for a couple of nights this summer. What a treat to spend a full weekend disconnected with technology and connected with friends and nature instead.

Fresh air, sleeping in my tent, reading a great book, wonderful food, fellowship, and of course, the all important campfire.

Camping only once a summer is simply NOT enough.

 

3. My porch is a dream come true

Have you ever been asked, “What does your ideal day look like?” For me, the answer to this question always has me starting my day out on my porch. I envision myself sitting and enjoying the sunshine, with my cup of tea in hand. It’s here I have my morning quiet time of reading my Bible, do some business planning, and tackle my current writing project.

And, of course, Bailey is hanging out with me too :).

In the summer, I now have that opportunity, and I love it. It’s a dream come true. It’s something I’m going to miss as the temperatures drop and the rainy season starts up again. Do you have any recommendations on good porch heaters?

4. It’s fun to explore your neighborhood

Over the summer, my health has improved, and my energy has slowly started to return. This improvement has helped me get out and begin to explore my neighborhood. Bailey and I have already made some fun discoveries.

We have found new-to-us empty beaches, new trails for us to explore, new vistas and landscapes to photograph, and small lakes with benches to sit, rest, and enjoy the view. I can’t wait to explore even more.

 

5. I need to get better at proofreading.

I have three modes when I write, free-writing, editing, and formatting. For my writing projects, I use a tool called Grammarly that catches grammar and punctuation errors that I would never catch on my own. It has been such a HUGE help and taught me things my English teachers never could.

However, every once in awhile I venture back into old, pre-Grammarly blog posts and cringe. One of these days I would like to go back and spend some time fixing them up.

There is also the fun of visiting old social media posts on Instagram or Facebook where I goofed, or spell check was trying to “help” me. Is it okay that I blame spell check more than I should?

6. I love quotes

Over the years I’ve collected quotes, and I can’t seem to stop. It’s kind of like walking along the beach looking for shells, even though you already have more than enough at home.

Here are a few that I have collected this summer:

“F.O.C.U.S” – Follow One Course Until Successful (Shelley Hitz)

“Practice makes progress.” (Multiples sources)

“Little by little is progress.” (Lara Casey)

“Am I just saying what I value or am I living what I value?” (Korie Robertson)

There you have it! A short list of a few of the things I learned this summer.

Creating this list proved to be a fun, and interesting exercise. It has shown me that I do not do a great job keeping track of things I have learned. So, per Emily’s suggestion, I’m adding a page to my planner where I can keep a list of what I’ve learned and revisit when I need a reminder.

Would you be willing to share one or two things you learned over the summer?