This summer, I devoted some time to assessing my life.
Several times a year, I do the Wheel of Life in Retirement (as shown in How to Craft Your Chapter X). It assesses a wide array of categories that make up life, including Health & Fitness, Social Relationships, Spiritual, Family, Personal Growth, Intellectual Engagement, etc.
Overall, I was pretty happy with how things are going, but there are areas that could use some attention. For example, I need to increase my physical exertion by adding more cardio to my weight training routine. Another area I wanted to put more effort into was intellectual pursuits.
A friend of mine and I were talking, and the topic of taking a college course together began to take shape. We agreed on the idea of taking a Beginning Italian Language class at a local university. We both went through the ordeal of the application process and getting set to register at the end of the summer.
Unfortunately, all the classes that fell in the appropriate time slots were closed. We came up with a Plan B and enrolled in a local Italian language school.
I have no expectation of mastery after a 12-week beginner class, but perhaps I can establish a foundation for more learning. I have attended one class, and while I am feeling a bit lost already, I know two things clearly:
I will come out of this experience knowing more than I did when I started (a win). And secondly, I will have successfully made an effort to improve, knowing that planning and doing are two different acts.
