This project came into my life at the right time. I have been feeling very unmotivated to learn anything new or to pursue any new or old passions. A few things I have been passionate about over the last year have been 1) learning to play piano, 2) learning Italian, 3) running a marathon.
A few years ago I inherited a piano and decided to step out of my comfort zone and take lessons as an adult. I have been taking lessons for almost a year and can play a few songs. Since March I haven’t been able to meet with my teacher and my practice time has gone down significantly. Last week I decided to record myself and send it to my teacher. She was delighted and has started sending me her own recordings so I keep practicing. However, I have decided that while I will keep practicing I’m not going to focus on this passion for my genius hour project.
Learning Italian is something that I started almost 5 years ago, kind of just for fun and because it is very similar to Spanish. I have been using Duolingo however when life got busy with work and graduate school I kind of abandoned it. I considered going back to it for my genius hour project but after going through Duolingo, browsing through some of the books I purchased, and watching some YouTube videos I didn’t feel like I was fully committed to investing the time and energy to make this my project.
Running has been a way to manage stress and anxiety in my life. It allows me to have “me time” and afterward I always feel better. Last year I went out of my comfort zone and joined a local running group, trained over the summer, and ran my first half marathon. My goal was to run a marathon later this fall, however, that might not be an option with limited races available and a recurring injury.
Like many of you, I have been remote teaching for the last few months, while at the same time managing my kids' e-learning and daily life. While I have tried to be patient now and then I have found myself stressed out. My son pointed out that I was working too much and not enjoying the moment. I have forgotten how to have fun and “lighten up”. As I was reflecting on what I would like to pursue, what I would like to learn more about for my project I was browsing my bookshelves and saw a book I bought a while back
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.
In her book, Gretchen tackles a subject or topic every month with the goal of creating her “own happiness”. As I was browsing through the different chapters I came across April: Lighten Up- Parenthood, May: Be Serious About Play- Leisure and thought this has the potential to be a great genius hour project. So I’m going to pursue the idea of creating my “own happiness project” using her book and other books I have available as well as online resources. Let's ignite some fun learning!
