Foreword

Greetings! I'm Molly. This is my first blog experience and I'm pretty dang excited about it. There are a variety of reasons why I've decided to embark on this pseudo-assignment.
I'd like to make it clear that I am not an aspiring photographer, and I don’t pretend to be. Some of my closest friends and family are exceptionally talented in that area, but I can’t say it has ever been a genuine passion of mine.
Onto business. Recently, many of my Facebook friends caught my attention with albums titled “30 day challenge”, in which they followed a list of topics via photos that defined them. All of this for a period of - you guessed it - 30 days. I wanted to pursue this in my own way by making my own ‘list’. (Side note, I have planning this for the past few weeks; likely driving my roommate crazy by scrawling ideas onto paper in the middle of the night.) Regardless, I am excited for my ideas to come to fruition, and truly hope it turns out the way I have been imagining it. I invite you to leave comments on anything I post. I have always been a firm believer that knowing what everyone else thinks, does, in fact, matter. It puts things into perspective and allows us to be well-rounded individuals, which is definitely a quality I would hope to be recognized as.
One primary hesitation I have about this project is ultimately how self-centered it is. Completely. It can be chalked up to self-expression, art, or anything else… but in the end, things like this are primarily concerned with “me” and “I”. I struggle with this in an age of social media. Since the time I had a Myspace at age 16, I began this practice (we began this practice) of showcasing ourselves and finding endless ways to portray how unique we were. With Facebook and Twitter, I find it to be a double-edged sword. I want everyone to see… and yet, I don’t want anyone to see. Sometimes, all I really want, all I really need, is an outlet to mass-communicate my rawest emotions on a medium where no one is guaranteed to see it.
So…yes; with this project, I admit to being yet another self-dissecting 20-something. But I was programmed this way, and I have discovered a lot of important things as a result. This is about being honest with myself, regardless of all outside influences. This isn’t for you or for them, this is for me. It’s a time capsule. How will I feel tomorrow? In a week? a month? A year? Only time will tell.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Day 25: It's the difference

between having an idea, and making something out of it.
Thinking about it isn't enough sometimes.
          Let's dive right in: Hobbies are important, and here's why. I don't mean to sound like a high school advisor who urges you to 'get involved' for the sake of making friends, but we meet people, we learn from them, and we gain lot in terms of our personal inventory, too.  Hobbies are important because it puts our mind to use out of context of what we already know. When something in our life lets us down or discontinues, hobbies are what we turn to; that reliable thing you love to do, and that you do well. Without passion, talent is wasted. So not only are we good at it, and also enjoy it, we make a contribution to an end result. That's what any hobby is; progress towards an end result.  
        Many times, we learn the tricks of the trade from someone else. I've had my sights set on getting better at a few things for awhile. Want to hear them? Good. The first is to learn to be a better cook. I'm not looking to make the most complicated recipe or win awards, but I want to be able to create a meal from start to finish. In this day and age, it means a lot to be able to say that you made something that didn't come from a can, a box, a mix, or the frozen food section. I have this expectation that I will wake up one day and be as good of a cook as my mom, or as good of a baker as my grandma was... but this is just wishful thinking at the rate I'm going. I'm not culinary-illiterate, but my current lifestyle hasn't allowed too much free time to start experimenting in the kitchen. 
        My second aspiration is to become (at the very least) an intermediate sewer. Call it outdated, if you must. It's not as easy as it looks, by any means. I received a sewing machine for Christmas and, with the help of my mother, am close to finishing my first garment. This desire to sew is undoubtedly with intent to further abandon the jaded size definitions of the clothing industry. It also comes back to the idea of having an end result: being proud of something that is one-of-a-kind and made by yours truly.
       Last, (and least, to be honest) is my desire to exercise on a regular basis. By regular, I just mean that it shouldn't go in intermittent droughts like I typically allow. Don't get me wrong; I am probably the farthest thing from a lazy couch potato. Its rare that I'm not power-walking from A to B on any given day like a busy bee. This afternoon, I went for a run for the first time since January. I am by no means a superstar athlete, but I won't deny that it felt great to get out and move again. I really envy those of you out there who adhere to a structured exercise regimen... but sadly, I am not like you. I occasionally feel the urge to go for a run, but usually this happens when I'm wired at 2am and can't sleep, or after I consume a rather greasy meal (how promising). My sole motivation to run today was solely with one thing in mind: the approaching beach season... 
        ....No, I'm totally joking. But it would be nice to get some meat on these twiggy things I call legs.   
Think : Do. 

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