About a week ago, my brother asked me about what topics I’m interested in. I ended up coming up with a pretty extensive list. Many of these things are things that I would love to explore more, and as such, they might end up on here, so I thought I’d share the list.
- My hometown. You can read more about that here.
- Renovations. One of my greatest dreams is to renovate old homes to preserve their charm, but make them nicer.
- NYC reservoirs and eminent domain. My hometown is nestled between two of New York City’s largest drinking-water reservoirs. Because of this, our town has been greatly impacted. I am very passionate about how this affects us.
- Interior decorating and design. I even considered going to college for this.
- Small town revivals. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with my hometown. So many small rural towns are struggling in today’s world, and I really love seeing towns that are revived.
- Kitchen design. When I look at my Pinterest boards and such, I realize that the majority of images I pin are of kitchens. Perhaps because I love baking and cooking, I really love kitchen designs.
- Printmaking, screen printing, and related arts. I took a printmaking class last year, and really loved it.
- Hand lettering and typography. Of all of the arts, this is what I’m most interested in. The majority of things in my sketchbook are hand-lettered sketches.
- Human rights. I’m quite passionate about this, especially the freedoms that all humans should have and that we so often take for granted, but also the rights that even in America, are still being fought for.
- Children living in poverty. As a future teacher, poverty will be one of the biggest hurdles many of my students will face. I think I want to work in a high-needs district, mostly because these students are the ones who most need good teachers that care, and I think I can fill that role.
- History. Particularly how people lived in the past. My favorite time period is between 1800 and about 1970. It’s a big span, but I love all of the changes that took place throughout the 1800s and early to mid 1900s. My favorite genre of books has always been historical fiction and memoirs, mostly because I find the way people have lived so interesting.
- Back to basics living. I’m not quite willing to give up technology or such, but I really like that many people are returning to their roots and living off of the land and such. I love that people are beginning to slow down and work hard with their hands and enjoy the little things. Technology is wonderful, but it also can be dangerous. It leads us to think that happiness can be found on the internet or in material things, when in reality, joy is found in simple acts.
- Making artisan breads. I don’t think I’d want to live the life of a baker, but I would love to learn to make artisan breads. Breads are something I love eating. I could pretty easily live off of good bread and cheese and butter. I know how to make my grandpa’s rolls, but would love to learn how to make more breads.
- Furniture. Especially antique furniture and furniture making.
- French living. The French are known for a much slower pace of life and so much of what they seem to live by seems like a better alternative to the fast-paced cut-throat American ways.
- Other cultures. And with that, travel. I love learning about the values and customs of various cultures. There is so much out there that I know so little about, some of which I hope to discover in my travels.
- Carpentry. My former track coach once mentioned that he thinks that everyone should learn basic carpentry skills. I agree wholeheartedly. I am also interested in learning how to build things using wood.
- Quilting. I have thus far only made one quilt, but it is a hobby I would like to pursue more. Quilts are a lot of work, and as such, they are so special.
- Gardening. My family plants a garden every year, but we aren’t that good at taking care of it. This is something I would like to change.
- Berry farms, fruit orchards, and Christmas tree farms. Traditional farming interests me, but these three kinds of farms are the ones I would most like to get into. I have gone berry picking with my mom and grandpa for as long as I can remember, and I absolutely love berries. I also love going to apple orchards and would love to learn more about them and other fruit orchards. And last, but not least, my mom’s dad has owned a Christmas tree farm for many decades. I’ve helped plant trees, and I love getting our Christmas tree there every year. My mom and I are looking into the possibility of taking over the farm, probably in the next couple of years.
- Small stores in small towns. There is something so special about small, privately owned shops, particularly those found in smaller towns.
- Community planning/design/landscaping. My sister is currently trying to figure out what she wants to go for in college, and this is one of the majors she is considering. I really think that if I had known this major existed before I decided on teaching, this is what I would have gone for. It combines everything I love.
- Old houses and architecture. My dad owns the family real estate business. Ever since I was little, I have loved driving around, looking at houses. I am especially drawn to old homes, as they have so much character and history. In the past year, the two of us have gone on a couple of historical house tours in our area, and I have loved every minute of them.
I know this is a really long list. But theses are all things that I would like to explore in the near future. I’d love to hear what you would be most interested in hearing more about.
The Oke Den 