Feel Good Friday - Nurturing 🌱

[Amanda Barber]

Happy Friday, Community!

Likes for Trees V is still going strong and we're a bit behind our goal, so go find some great content to LIKE, send kudos, or RSVP to an ACE!

For todays, feel good topic: What personal passion project are you currently nurturing and growing? 🌳

I've been trying out some new hobbies lately, but haven't really landed on one particular project/craft/venture. I'd love to hear what you're working on!

[Barbara Szczesniak]

As I get older, it seems harder to be patient with people, so I am trying to work on my patience. 

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Barbara Szczesniak

I don't think the problem is being patient

When we get older, we try to slow down, and everybody around us doesn't care about that. I think that's what's making us mostly impatient.

[Liz Nixon]

@Arkadiusz Wroblewski you make a good point.

[zoltanersek _outpostlabs_dev_]

I'm trying to get back to baking more frequently. But I'm also on a diet, so it makes this difficult :D 

[Irena Śliwa]

Baking bread and other savory baked goods is also a challenge 😄 Maybe you can try that with a diet? Low-calorie etc

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

I'm working on my form in the gym and looking for some consulting or side jobs, which is surprisingly hard when you've always worked as an employee and never must do Side gigs and don't know where to start 🤣😅

Fun fact: I'm trying multiple things and hobbies simultaneously now.

[Brita Moorus]

I’ve recently taken up cycling 🚲

I’m still learning what kind of routes I enjoy most, but it has already become a lovely way to get outside, clear my head, and explore places I would normally drive past. For now, my little passion project is simply becoming more confident and consistent with it 🌳

[James O_Connor]

My passion project at the moment is actually about reducing rather than growing - decluttering my house! As a family we just have way too much 'stuff', so we're trying to reduce everything and streamline.

I've even managed to convince my daughter to do the same - she just spent most of today (the last day of school holidays) tidying her room and having a huge clear out. I've never been more proud 🤣

[Amy Schindel]

I both love and hate doing this!  I love it once it's done, but sometimes it's too overwhelming to even start, lol.

With my kids (I have 3) I'd sit with each of them and repeat "If you don't wear (or use) it or it doesn't fit, let's get rid of it".  They're now in their late teens and early 20's and do a pretty good job of figuring it out on their own.  I'm still working on training my husband though. 🤣

Another thing I used (on myself) a few years ago was "If I wouldn't pay a mover to move this to another state, why am I keeping it?"  At the time we thought we would be moving a family of 5 to a new state.  We didn't end up moving, but my linen closet became MUCH tidier and the local dog kennel got a lot of towels and sheets donated to them!

[Liz Nixon]

@James O_Connor I wish you the best with this!

@Amy Schindel I'm stealing this one

"If I wouldn't pay a mover to move this to another state, why am I keeping it?" 

For certain items (like craft supplies) I've recently started using "Is this reality, or is this for my 'fantasy self'?" It's been super helpful.

[Barbara Szczesniak]

I've also done the retrospective "if we moved it to this house 5 years ago and haven't opened the box since…?"

[Liz Nixon]

@Barbara Szczesniak that's a good one, too. I'm stealing it lol.

[Liz Nixon]

I've got a few things going right now. I'm increasing my reading (reading a lot of thrillers this summer, in honor of Summerween). I'm decluttering my basement. I'm also playing lots of games with my dog to build his skills (especially recall).

[Amy Schindel]

I'm really trying to increased my exercise / movement.  I spent most of 2025 getting varicose vein treatments and shoulder surgery (rotator cuff and labrum repairs).  So this year my goal was to increase activity and loose weight.  however, between super hot humid weather for the last 6 weeks, and unexpected additional bumps in my health journey, it's been MUCH harder than I anticipated.  

But, I have resumed my former hobby of crocheting baby blankets for friends and family now that my shoulder is repaired.  So I'll take that for now!

[Barbara Szczesniak]

@Amy Schindel I hope your recovery continues with no more bumps.

It is hard to exercise with the heat, especially if you prefer to be sleeping at 4AM, but I think it's also hard to crochet baby blankets in the heat. I kind of stopped doing that when I moved to Florida because it was too warm for the blanket to lay on my lap as I worked. 

[Amy Schindel]

Very true!  The rest of my family is freezing, but I have 2 fans on me and keep changing the air conditioner, lol.  I live in Iowa though, so I know in just a few months it will be too cold to do anything outside (My husband and I are trying to think of somewhere we can live in retirement that would be "just right" but so far we've struck out.  Maybe Colorado... not too humid, not to hot, not too cold.  But I want a ranch style house and I'm not sure that's compatible with mountains!)

[Liz Nixon]

@Amy Schindel there are plenty of areas in Colorado that would work with a ranch style, and still be able to see mountains, if that's what you'd like. If you don't care about that, there are still plenty of areas. You hit it right with the low humidity. But if you don't want 8 months of winter-type weather, don't get too close to the mountains lol

Good luck with the rest of your recovery!

[Amy Schindel]

@Liz Nixon Honestly I've only been to the very touristy parts of CO - Keystone, Vail, Breckenridge, Georgetown.  And then one day trip to Glenwood Springs.  And only visited in June and July, LOL.  But I have loved every part of the trips. We just need to branch out to other parts of the state I guess!  (I don't think we could afford to live in any of the areas mentioned above anyway!)

[Liz Nixon]

@Amy Schindel lol, totally. So much of CO is certainly beyond my means, too. Come to think of it, most of where I've visited is rather touristy -- Boulder, Denver, Aspen, Snowmass Village, Fort Collins. I've also visited Lyons, which is a very small town but it's another "mountain town". My brother and his family live in Carbondale, and it is also up there even though it's not touristy, but it's not far from Aspen.

From your list, I'm guessing you're a skier?