Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.
My mom asked what I wanted for my birthday, and I said a folding handsaw. I was living in a dorm at the time so it probably wasn’t what she expected.
It was such a great gift that I must have cut down about 200 trees on their property within a few days. My mom was dubious at first, but she ended up buying herself one too! I love landscaping and gardening, plus it’s also useful for cutting firewood while backpacking.
Write about your approach to budgeting.
I developed an excel sheet which I’ve used for years to budget every month. I posted a sample on my page in the “debt, saving, and investment” section.
Additionally, every couple of years I’ll use an agenda and for three months write all my expenditures daily in red ink, noted by section as: misc., food (out), groceries, & gas/car. It is great to see what I lived on in the past and where my money has gone after pay raises.
I didn’t post the last few days, but I instead took time off from screens, did some paintings, and watched the snow pile up from my cozy abode, enjoying herbal teas and the Stormlight Archive series.
I’m sure we’ve all been there, right?
Gosh, this ginger shot burns like liquor!
At my age, my dad was self-employed in ceramic installation while working on our fixer-upper home and my mother was substitute teaching in addition to expanding the lovely garden and raising six kids. Must have been a busy time for them!
Here’s a lovely image of what we thought dad was doing vs what AI thought dad was doing!
Just joking – we were there pulling up spacers & wringing out the grout from the sponges! Learning some real life skills.
I would like to change a zoning law to allow residential and commercial businesses to coexist. I live in the urban sprawl of Detroit where walking won’t get you where you need to go, so everyone travels by car. My commute can be an hour when traffic is rough, but I have no practical alternatives. Since the automotive age took off, new areas never have walkable downtowns. I would love to have a community where people could walk or bike and actually get somewhere useful, perhaps having more human interactions and creating more collective outdoor spaces for people to gather and connect. I imagine all of us stuck renting apartments would also have additional housing options, since zoning of the past created oversized lots that do not allow for additional buildings despite having ample space. I’ve seen those homes tucked behind homes in Columbus, Ohio and found the character of region quite charming. It feels like we really tie our hands addressing community isolation & insufficient housing when it comes to zoning laws.
Someday I would like to have a home with lots of natural lighting for growing plants & reading nooks, an inviting kitchen & dining area, as well as a garden to get my hands in the dirt and create my own little paradise. I’ll take breaks on the porch to catch up with my friends, family, and neighbors and host gatherings with homemade meals and plenty of time outdoors as the evening dew settles. Trails and nature are all within walking distance, and people know my home is a place where they’ll always be welcome to visit for good chats, laughs, and great food.
I get excited and call the people closest to me, then I get moving by hitting the gym, dancing around the house, or hitting a trail. I revel in the joy of it for days.
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?
Several, though I may bring some back on occasion. I try too many things to maintain them all, so I haven’t played much accordion or fiddle lately, nor ridden my bike or done creative writing. I used to do more art back in college. A three-month drawing challenge helped with that, but time not drawing can be used reading books, exploring new cities or trails, and doing other novel things. I guess things feel complicated when hobbies get put on the shelf, but I shouldn’t feel guilty at using time in other pursuits. Like a good book, it is there when I need it. I don’t study every language with the goal of fluency, but some I just want an “ajimi” taste of. The same seems true for hobbies.
Yatsuhashi is my go-to, but warabi mochi is a close second.
After 10 months living in Japan, someone gave me Skittles and it was so disgustingly sweet that I wondered if the candy was tainted. Nope, it was my tastebuds that had changed.
How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?
I feel confident as I adapt to new situations, but humbled that I only seem to grow from mistakes. I would rather learn with the quick self-forgiveness of a child discovering the world than the stubborn pride of a self-assured adult struggling to take advice or be kind to themself.
Mauron Kur 