Zen College Life

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So I’ve been on a project high lately. Outside of school life seems to be a search for that next project, that next activity to get my fix. (Shakes and scratches like an addict) Don’t worry guys, I can quit anytime.

Honestly, though, it has really richened my life. Some of these projects are pure enjoyment, others give me extra responsibility, a few are pretty passive, and another few require daily attention. The fact is, though, that these projects give me stimulation, both mentally and physically, outside of my field of work, study, or general interest.

I’ll give you a little insight as to what I’m talking about.

Pets – I’m not really a pet kind of guy. I love animals, I just don’t want them jumping up on me and licking my face. So I decided to start a nano-aquarium (very small). My aquarium is only 1.5 gallons, and sits on my desktop. I have a Male betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) named General Tso, a Golden Mickey Mouse Platy named Macaroni, and a Neon Tetra named Romeo. (He had a Juliet, but there was an incident. I’m not ready to talk about it yet…)

Starting this project was really exciting. I had to learn what fish get along well, and which would kill each other. I learned about water pH, temperature, food, and what type of atmosphere they would strive in. I learned about aquarium maintenance. I planned out what I wanted, and how they would do well. Not all was good though. Some of my fish attacked each other, even though they were supposed to be docile. But all in all, it was a great experience, and now I feed them every day, and they are great to watch when taking a break from studying. They have their own distinct ‘personalities.’ It’s really fun.

Fitness – my newest project is a fitness plan. It’s called P90X. It is a home video fitness system. I am really enjoying this project also. It lasts 90 days, and can be done even longer. I have committed to doing these workouts 7 days a week for 90 days straight. Today is only the fourth day. We will see how it goes.

Garden – when the weather starts to warm up, and becomes more conducive to gardening, I plan on starting a square foot garden. Haven’t heard of it? Google it, there are a few different websites explaining the project. Basically you make a small plot, and build a raised garden on the plot, with different plants in each square foot. I’m excited to see how well this project goes. If all goes well, I could be eating food straight out of a home garden in months. That seems pretty exciting. Oh, and the garden will be all organic.

Guitar – I took up learning guitar a few years ago. I’m so glad I did. Music is therapeutic, and being able to produce music that explains a certain emotion or feeling is amazing. Picking up a guitar and making music is an experience unlike anything else in the world. It’s the same feeling writers get when they write the perfect piece, athletes feel it when they are in the zone, programmers get it when they run their applications and get no syntax errors, etc. (Ok, so that last one was really nerdy…) Ok, so if you ever wanted to learn guitar but didn’t, do it now. I don’t care if your 25 or 52. It’s never too late to learn.

Reading – I have to admit. My life before last semester was very different than it is now. I can honestly say that before last semester I hadn’t read more than 10 books my entire life that weren’t assigned in school or some other project. Now, you won’t find me without a book, magazine, podcast, or audio book ever. I blame you guys! Nobody told me books were so amazing. You guys were really holding out on me. Just the thought of a library now; WOW, my brain is throbbing with excitement! Ha-ha.

Auto – ok so this one didn’t really start out as a ‘project.’ I got into a car accident and flipped my car about a year ago. Don’t worry, I walked away scratch free, but my car was pretty bruised. Now I spend time working on getting it back on the road. I’ve replaced tires, changed transmission fluid, changed oil, checked spark plugs and wires, and I still have some work to do. This kind of knowledge and ability will surely come in handy again in the future.

Relationships – this one is a bit outside of the realm of what people generally refer to as projects. But if you understood the amount of research, work, testing, learning, understanding, negotiating, fighting, arguing, making up, and starting over again it took to be in a committed relationship, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. If this isn’t a project I don’t know what is.

Honestly, I’m still looking for more projects to do. Like I said earlier, these make life a little more exciting each day. Leave a comment; let me know what kinds of projects interest you. I may just want to know more about it!

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