This blog post is part of a series of posts reflecting on 2023 and inviting us all to consider the story God continues to write in our lives each day. See all the posts in this series here.
Instead of a traditional list of goals to start of the year or a new season, I’ve discovered that a “bucket list” kind of approach works well for me. They are still goals and things I desire to do or accomplish in a certain timeframe, but I intentionally pick way more than I know I’ll be able to achieve. This gives some direction without locking me into one specific thing simply because it was my goal. It allows me to adapt to new opportunities. This year a theme of one of my goals was to learn some new things and maybe pick up another hobby or two for my spare time (especially in the winter months since my favorite current hobbies involve being outside.)
Here are a few things I tried or learned this year. Some of them were on my list from back in January but many came up as opportunities throughout the year.
POTTERY CLASS
Back in January I had “take a photography class” on my bucket list. It’s something I still want to do to be able to better use my camera. But this summer a chance to take a pottery wheel class came up and so my attention shifted that way. As part of my “summer of fun” it was a delight to push myself a little outside my comfort zone, show up to a class where I knew no one and get my hands dirty (literally) in trying out something new. While I’ve got a long way to go if I ever want to make this a true hobby, it makes me smile every time I look over and see a little bowl I made with my own hands.
NEW TESTAMENT GREEK
At one point earlier this year I was covering a Bible study for a teammate and he loaned me one of his commentaries. It was a great commentary on the book of Mark but a lot of it was in Greek. Basically any time it referenced the passage it was talking about it used the Greek words. It was still very useful since I could figure out most from context. When I returned the book to him, he asked how I liked it. I jokingly replied that I loved it … but that it kind of made me want to learn Greek though.
The next thing I knew I was getting to my office by 7am two days a week to take an online Greek class with a pastor in Missouri that my teammate knew. Despite the fact the class had started 4-5 weeks before I joined (and therefore I was already way behind), I jumped in and did my best to learn whatever I could. I’ve had to put this adventure on pause for a bit for now, but those few months ignited a passion and desire to keep watching for chances to learn more of the original Biblical languages. The nice part is, there’s no real rush. This can be a goal to chip away at for years and years, learning a little more here and there as various seasons allow.
EMBROIDERY
One of the most recent hobbies I picked up is embroidery. I found an amazing website that had some starter kits that came with everything you needed to make one design and has designs that are meaningful to me. I can’t share too much about this hobby quite yet as I’m hoping it may result in at least a few gifts coming up, but I have a feeling this will be a great activity to partner alongside watching movies or listening to audiobooks this winter. It’s nice to do something with my hands and see it come together.
WRITING A BOOK
Yep. This is definitely something new that I’ve adventured into this year. I haven’t shared this goal with too many people until now because I’m still not sure if it’s something I’ll actually ever publish or not. However, if all goes as planned, by the end of 2023, I will have at least a first draft of a full length non-fiction book. The came out of a desire from many years ago to share some of my story and the practical ways God has helped me keep my eyes on Him through the highs and lows. This project got delayed for a few reasons this fall, but I think I’ll still be able get a first draft done before December 31. I’m not sure if I will ever publish it or not, but wanted to at least write it this year for myself.
This Fall, I also wrote an 8-week Bible Study that I do plan to self-publish sometime early on in 2024 all about Abundant Life! While writing itself is obviously not new, doing in this way and considering publishing larger works definitely is! (Send any tips you may have!)
While this list is not comprehensive, this is my story of trying new things. What new things did you try in 2023? What new things should I consider trying in 2024?
bekahfreed.com 