They always say when you exercise you should mix it up as it works different parts of your body and keeps your muscles guessing. Now, I have a hard time following this because I enjoy running, but I attempt with a little Boot camp class at the YWCA here in Clinton.
However, I realized recently that the same holds true for your brain! My downstairs neighbors (best landlords EVER) invited me down one evening to eat popcorn and play a new card game with them that they'd recently learned. I was excited because it had been years since I'd played cards. It was so much fun! My brain was definitely stretched to think in a way that it wasn't accustomed to. Counting points, strategizing when to lay cards down, paying attention to what cards people were collecting, trying unsuccessfully to maintain a poker face simultaneously was difficult, but FUN!
This led me to reflect how I really enjoy when my brain gets to think in different ways. I'm hoping to get to play my flute in the local town band in Wilton before I leave for Nigeria as that is a way that I have neglected due to lack of regular opportunities.
Blogging provides an opportunity to write in narrative form. I remember when I first blogged in Nigeria it felt strange at first but throughout the year it got easier to think in a compositional way. I feel the rustiness again, but my brain is excited to stretch in this way again!
In preparation for living in El Salvador, I knew I should start practicing some Spanish again. During a visit to Chicago and stay in a hostel we met up with some other travelers from Latin America and had the opportunity to speak Spanish for a few hours. It was kind of like trying to run a 10K after laying on the couch for 5 years. However, I also remembered how much I LOVED it!
It's easy to get in a life routine where the brain is thinking in the same way all the time. These slightly divergent activities have reminded me how much I love the the "feeling" of thinking in these different ways!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Insights Gained in Clinton
My last two years of living in Clinton has contributed to increased understanding of myself and the world around me, some discoveries more profound than others. Listed below is a smattering:
1. I LOVE walking to school! Living a few blocks from my work was amazing, and it always boggled my students' minds that I walked...even in the rain using an umbrella!!
2. Coffee is delicious. After going to Hawaii and getting Hawaiian coffee I broke down and accepted a coffee pot as a gift (whereas I had previously maintained that I didn't want one because then I would just drink more coffee). I had anticipated correctly, but it brings a LOT of joy to my life!
3. The road conditions of Clinton and Jalingo, Nigeria are comparable.
4. Living along the Mississippi River is delightful...I'm going to miss running on the riverfront trail.
5. Cross-country skiing is AMAZING! I had never tried it before, but I now own my own skis so I can go anytime and anywhere I want for free! Winter is fun when there is snow and the temperatures are in the double digits!!
6. I CAN do a marathon! I had always been worried about how to eat at proper times and amounts along the course. That was what had held me back, sounds ridiculous now because it wasn't an issue because I DID it!
7. Spending a weekend in Clinton in solitude can be pleasant. In fact, once I learned to appreciate my own company (toward the end of the two years) I found many things about it quite enjoyable!
8. I determined that one of the things I loved about Nigeria was experiencing new things or ADVENTURES, and started applying it to life in Iowa: doing research at Iowa State, visiting new-to-me Iowa landmarks, and teaching freshmen!
9. Great co-workers are invaluable! While I realized this before at my previous jobs where I'd been blessed with amazing co-workers, it was even more important here where I had few, local friends outside of work...luckily, they ROCKED!
10. I really love the elderly. My friends at the nursing home here in Clinton loved unconditionally, were always happy to receive a visit, and shared decades of wisdom with me! What an honor to spend time with such special people!
1. I LOVE walking to school! Living a few blocks from my work was amazing, and it always boggled my students' minds that I walked...even in the rain using an umbrella!!
2. Coffee is delicious. After going to Hawaii and getting Hawaiian coffee I broke down and accepted a coffee pot as a gift (whereas I had previously maintained that I didn't want one because then I would just drink more coffee). I had anticipated correctly, but it brings a LOT of joy to my life!
3. The road conditions of Clinton and Jalingo, Nigeria are comparable.
4. Living along the Mississippi River is delightful...I'm going to miss running on the riverfront trail.
5. Cross-country skiing is AMAZING! I had never tried it before, but I now own my own skis so I can go anytime and anywhere I want for free! Winter is fun when there is snow and the temperatures are in the double digits!!
6. I CAN do a marathon! I had always been worried about how to eat at proper times and amounts along the course. That was what had held me back, sounds ridiculous now because it wasn't an issue because I DID it!
7. Spending a weekend in Clinton in solitude can be pleasant. In fact, once I learned to appreciate my own company (toward the end of the two years) I found many things about it quite enjoyable!
8. I determined that one of the things I loved about Nigeria was experiencing new things or ADVENTURES, and started applying it to life in Iowa: doing research at Iowa State, visiting new-to-me Iowa landmarks, and teaching freshmen!
9. Great co-workers are invaluable! While I realized this before at my previous jobs where I'd been blessed with amazing co-workers, it was even more important here where I had few, local friends outside of work...luckily, they ROCKED!
10. I really love the elderly. My friends at the nursing home here in Clinton loved unconditionally, were always happy to receive a visit, and shared decades of wisdom with me! What an honor to spend time with such special people!
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