As someone who feels overwhelmed and constantly busy, I spend a lot of time doing nothing. I have been a mom for the past 27 years (24 of those as a single mom) and now a grandma. I have worked pretty steadily during the majority of that time, and work a minimum of 40 hours per week currently. More recently, I have gone back to school and completed my associate degree, then my bachelor’s degree, and I am wrapping up my master’s degree. So, I have been busy doing the mundane or busy stressing out about all of the above.

I never quite take advantage of the area around me, even though I am surrounded by such beauty and the opportunity to do many things.

This summer, I am going to make it a point to seek out some activities to do that will add a little enrichment in my life. A couple of weeks ago, I took a class out at Interlochen Arts Academy. They have a ton of classes for all ages, but most are costly and for more than one day. I decided to take part in their Nature & Art Series. Classes are on Wednesday’s for approximately two hours and range from about $20-$45. The first class I took was creating herbal and floral mocktails and it was pretty fun. We toured the gardens and learned about different ready-made and prepared mocktails. We ended the evening creating our own.

My next class will be the Ecology of Birding. I have my binoculars and the Merlin bird ID app ready to go. Other classes I have signed up for are Capturing Flowers through Watercolor Painting, Pasta Making with Garden Ingredients, a Bonsai Workshop, and Farm to Table Tacos.

I am hoping that by focusing on some enrichment activities this summer, I will feel reenergized and satiate my need to hobby hop.