Variations on a Theme

I love the inspiration and new-found motivation that comes with the changing of the seasons, and the transition from summer into fall is my favorite of all. As soon as I flipped my calendar to September, I started feeling the urge to brainstorm, plan, and organize.

It was with this thinking yesterday that I pulled out a blank page in my notebook and started to jot down some goals for September. But as I was putting pen to paper, this simple string of words came to me: read, bake, yoga, laugh, create, be. And so, my theme for the fall (and perhaps life) was born.

Read: I’ve been enjoying a year of good reading so far in 2012. With the discovery of library lending for the Kindle, my book club, and swapping Kindles with a friend, I’m always in the midst of a book I love. Currently I’m reading Beautiful Ruins, and next up is The Tiger’s Wife, for my book club. I’m also eager to peruse my September Real Simple magazine, and to keep up on reading some of my favorite blogs.

Bake: I’m not much in the kitchen, as I’ll be the first to admit. But lately, on Pinterest, I’ve found myself pinning a lot of baked goods. My lofty goal is to bake a layer cake, but I may ease in with some banana bread, pumpkin muffins, or these dark chocolate pistachio cookies I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

Yoga: I feel much better when I am regularly doing yoga, but unfortunately, it’s  one of the first things to go when things get busy. Somehow, I feel that flopping on the couch for a How I Met Your Mother marathon is better for my soul than turning inward for yoga. While sometimes this may well be the case, I am making it a priority to return to taking at least one yoga class per week. I’m writing it in my planner and making it happen.

Laugh: I’ve been lucky enough to be laughing a lot lately, largely in part to my beau, funny friends, and Arrested Development. This past Saturday we watched the original Footloose movie (my first time seeing it!) and the commentary with my friends and I kept me laughing well into the next day. This month, I’m going to keep surrounding myself with people that make me laugh, and try to take situations lightly that would otherwise cause my brow to furrow.

Create: I do a bit of graphic design for my day job, and occasionally there are so many projects in the hopper that my eyes start to cross. But this is a creative outlet for me, so I’m going to tackle each project with fresh eyes and take pride in what I’ve done. I’m also striving to take more pictures (do you follow me on Instagram?) and regularly ordering prints from Prinstagram. A few weeks ago, I took about 5 minutes and taped up a heart using some of my printed pictures, and I love the result.

Be: I’m going to unplug as often as possible, enjoy the moment as it is, and just be. I’m going to strive to be myself in all situations, and the best version of myself that I can be. I’m going to take each day as it comes, appreciate the good, and leave the bad.