I Have Been Blessed

If I believed in Guardian Angels, I would think that two were sent me about three years ago. Because in these two people, I have seen nothing...nothing...except utter kindness, patience, and a genuine desire to help out whenever and wherever they possibly can.

Today, my tire blew while I was driving home from work, leaving me stranded in Racine. I was lucky that it went before I got on the freeway and instead I was able to safely pull over into the Park & Ride which just happened to be situated across the street from the Racine County Sheriff Patrol station...so I felt a bit safer sitting in my car by myself in the dark at 6:00 at night. (Oh and you can bet I was thrilled to have some extra time to practice up on my Brick Breaker game on my Blackberry...but that's not the point here). Already feeling as though someone was watching over me, I got a call from my mom saying that Larry would be there in about 45 minutes to come and change my tire for me. Larry is the husband of my mom's employee Melinda and the two of them have been doing things like this since we first met them.

True to his word, Larry arrived with a smile on his face and a tire jack in hand laughing as he hoisted my car in the air and saying "I was about to watch American Idol before Melinda called me". Feeling as though I couldn't thank him, or apologize enough for the inconvenience I had just put him in, he assured me that it was no trouble and that the lord will allow me to give thanks to him through my assistance to others (he's really religious...I just let him preach to me) =) And then, 10 minutes later, it was done. He waved goodbye and I drove back to my parent's house so I can take it in to get fixed in the morning.

He never once argued or groaned, or second guessed coming to my aid. He just got in the car, and drove 45 minutes simply to help me with my tire. If I believed in guardian angels, Melinda and Larry would be them, and I would feel very blessed that they are in my life.

I do feel very blessed to have them in my life. Their God certainly has big plans for them. I just know it.

Is This Thing On?

HI!!!!

Goodness. I think this is the longest I have gone without a blog update in a long time. I'm so sorry everyone (the few of you who faithfully read this). I HONESTLY am trying not to be such a stranger, and I clearly made a false promise to all of you a few posts ago in which I said I would be on more often. In my absence, I have proved that I lied.

I'm sorry.

To be perfectly honest though, you haven't missed much in my life. I promise. The new job is going great. I'm busy learning the industry and busy finding my place in the company. It's going to take a little bit to get my bearings around there, but I'm confident that I'll find them soon. I do miss Harley daily, but at least I still get to see some of my favorite people from there every now and then. I even still maintain regular contact with a few of my managers so I don't feel as though I'm completely removed from the company.

Hmmm...what else. Nothing. Sad right? As I get older, I'm finding my life to be more and more repetitive. Which I'm okay with. As I get older I'm also finding the need for my life to be more and more structured. It's less stressful for me that way =)

I'm excited about the upcoming Holiday weekend though (Aren't most of us?!). I have plans to head out with one of my managers from Harley on Wednesday and then probably out with some friends that evening (it IS the biggest drinking night of the year. I may be old, but I still like to go out every now and then!). Thursday is Thanksgiving, and then the weekend! Nothing big planned for the weekend. I need to get some laundry done (lame), clean my apartment (double lame), and hopefully head out with my friend Katie at some point (hooray!). And that's, that.

Please know that my effort is noble in trying to update this blog. In fact, I have a list of topics I want to blog about sitting in my email just waiting for their grand entrance onto babysteppingmyway. Hopefully with all my down town this week, I'll get to some of them!!!

Until then, Happy Holidays everyone. Eat tons and tons of food...because we can. That's what's great about this holiday, and we should be very thankful for that.

Little White Magnets

I have officially become slightly obsessed with the new Southeastern Wisconsin Radio Station contest being put on by KissFM. What does it entail? Magnets.

I know doesn't sound too interesting right? Well you're right, it's not really. But when the idea of a white magnet, being placed around the state that SOMEWHERE carries free gas for a year, I become a little excited. And I must admit it's not the free gas that makes me excited. It's the stupid little white magnet. And I would be ecstatic if I ever found one.

So now, when I'm driving, I'm not paying attention. I don't see stop lights, or stop signs, or people crossing the street. Instead, I see metal guard rails, and metal street signs, and metal electrical boxes and every time I see one, I stop paying attention to what I'm doing...and scout for a stupid white magnet.

It's sad, but I'm bound and determined to find it. And when I do, I'll post about it, and you can all basque in my excitement. And maybe as an added perk to it all...I'll have won a years worth of free gas. Because lets face it, I commute two hours every single day for work and I could probably use the free gas.

Even more than the free magnet.

Because She's Almost There

Hi!

My dear blog friend Krista is running a marathon. But not just because she wants to jump up and down at the end of 26.2 miles and say "I ran a marathon, what have you done", although I totally would, and I have. It was awesome. But this isn't about me. She's running for an adorable little girl named Amelia who has leukemia. Amelia can't run, but Krista can! And she is! But to help Amelia, Krista needs donations. And she's running out of time to get them!

Therefore, we're in super-hyper-get donations any way we can-even if it means posting a million blogs about it-mode. So here I am. Trying to help her out, and hoping you want to help as well!

The donations can be as big or as small as you're financially able to provide but every little bit helps. In fact, broken down, Krista has figured that she needs only $14 from 67 people. That's not bad. I know about 10, and I donated so that's 11! Assuming we all put in our $14, that only leaves her with 56 more people.

woot, woot!

Alright, enough begging. Let's get to the point. This is for a good cause. What better reason is there. You can donate here. I truly hope you do.

Thank You.

I'm a Lemming

I was tagged by my oldest friend Mentle on her blog, The Everyday. Here is the game:

THE RULES:

1. Post these rules before you give the facts.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. At the end of your post, choose (tag) someone and list their name (linking to their page).
4. Leave them a comment on their blog letting them know they’ve been tagged!

HERE GOES

1.) I don't believe in ghosts (in the Hollywood sense), nor do I believe in the after life but somehow I am convinced that I was contacted by my dead grandmother, on the one year anniversary of her death. I was living in London, and she left me a message on my voicemail. I'm not kidding.

2.) My dream is to set foot on every single continent.

3.) I miss school and learning. I'm hoping to go back for my Masters someday soon.

4.) I really want to make it a more permanent goal for myself to start hand writing letters to people. I utilize electronic communication entirely too much to stay in contact with those around me. I feel the need to get more personal.

5.) Finding 8 things to tell about myself is really hard, considering I regurgitated 100 of them for my "100 Things About Me" post.

6.) I wish skinny pants and leggings would go out of style again. I think they're just hideous and refuse to wear them.

7.) I loathe morning radio. I cannot find a single solitary morning show on my FM dial that stimulates me in any way, shape, or form. I am officially switching to AM. And that makes me feel old. But I still want Ally Faith to be my best friend.

8.) Socks make me feel claustrophobic.

Hmmm, I'll tag......OC. You're it!

Grrr To Cell Phones

In Orlando, I went into the pool. Actually, I got pushed into the pool. And I was holding my Kate Spade purse (complete with matching Kate Spade wallet), and those went into the pool with me. And inside that purse? My cell phone. Yes, that went in as well. All of us, into the pool, fully submerged by chlorinated, peed in water.

Fantastic.

And now? I'm without a cell phone. For the last 4 days actually. It's both liberating and frustrating at the same time. I've been trying with no success to salvage what's left of my overly priced cell phone, but alas I'm admitting defeat in that area. My cell phone plan isn't up for renewal until December, which means my only option for a new phone is to either suck it up and buy a new one (which I don't really have the money for) or live without contact for the next three months.

Believe me, that last option is sounding better and better each day.

Thankfully, my dear friend Amanda here at work had an extra cell phone for me to use, and generously saved my life by offering it to me until my plan expires. My next hurdle? Get the damn password to unlock the stupid phone from Cingular and Motorola.

"A response will be sent to you in 4 - 7 business days" Grrrrrrrrr!

Oh and by the way. My purse? She's fine. A little wet, but generally okay.

Looking Back on Summer 2007

Today in Wisconsin, it officially feels like fall. The air is cool and crisp, with hints of amber colored leaves blowing and moving below my feet. I stepped outside as the dawning sun hung lower than it has the previous few months, and I held my jacket closer to my body as I ran to my car to begin my morning commute. It was chilly, but a good chilly. The kind that makes you anticipate the coming months of crunching leaves, deep browns and oranges, and pumpkins sitting proudly at the doorsteps of neighborhood houses. I love autumn. Everything about it really. That is, everything except the fact that Winter is just around the corner.

I hate Winter.

Through my love for Autumn, I also hold a small place of remorse for the passing of Summer. That time of year when the sun shines brighter, the children laugh louder, and the idea of a front porch and a vodka lemonade never sounded sweeter. With the coming of Autumn, comes the end of Summer, and although I look forward to the coming months, I can't help but reminisce about what the last four have brought to me, and be thankful for all that I have been given so far this year.

Thank you Summer 2007, for giving me:

The chance to finally meet Tara's mom...too many years later
The Girls Next Door on DVD
My very first fishing license, followed by my very first fishing experience
My Barbie fishing bobber
The "On Your Honor Box"
An introduction to the amazing music of Jon Hainstock
A cure for my fear of flying
...lots of wine
The mountains of Utah
The ability to save
and a $300 a month savings on my loan payment
The Grand Ol Opry
A new lifelong friend
Golf
My new apartment
A sitemeter and google ads for my blog
The knowledge that thunder doesn't come from clouds crashing together
A 14 hour motorcycle ride through South Dakota
Runs by the lake
Walks by the lake
Get togethers with old, dear friends

Goodbye Harley-Davidson

In two weeks time, I will no longer be an employee of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. It was such a hard decision considering the love I have for my position, my boss, and the company. But in Harley, I was offered uncertainty. A position that had no plans to become permanent in the near future, especially considering the future health at the moment, of a downward sloping industry. I wanted to cry as I had to spit out the words "I was offered another position" and yet I felt relieved as I watched my boss's face beam with happiness as he encouraged me to jump on opportunities. At that moment, I wanted to hug him. I couldn't have asked for a better person to have worked for these past 9 months and I know that should my life take another course, I'll be able to find my way back there...no questions asked.

As I say goodbye to Harley, I look forward to saying hello to another chapter of my life. One that provides a bit more financial freedom and a chance to express myself creatively. One that brings me back, yet again, to Burlington, WI to the city that for some reason or another I just can't seem to leave. I'm extremely sad to be leaving, but I'm optimistic about my future. I'm confident that this is one more baby step in the right direction.

Supplemental Income

Guess what? I hit the $5.00 mark yesterday in my quest to make a living off of sidebar advertisements through Google! Horray!

Unfortunately, I don't get paid until that number reaches $100.00 which only puts me at $95.00 left! Therefore, going at this rate, by November 2010 I will have made enough money through blog clicks to get my first paycheck from Google Adsense in the mail. Maybe I can use it towards a down payment on my new house or condo. that I'm hoping to have around that same time. Or maybe I'll just buy a new pair of shoes.

Or a candy bar. Because lets face it, I have no idea how much they actually pay me. But I'm still excited, and even if it is in the realm of $.85..at least it's $.85 more that I can add to my "vacation fund" change jar!

::cough cough:: get clicking ::cough cough::

Another Post Doncha Know

You know that one language stereotype that Wisconsin has? The one where we all speak using words like “Yoder hay” (if I even spelt that right), “Doncha know” and “you betcha”? I have spent the majority of my adult life defending the Wisconsin name and adamantly sticking to my guns in saying that we do NOT talk like that. After all, I have lived in Wisconsin almost my entire life and I have yet to meet someone who has said any of the above three words, let alone all three of them repeatedly. Sure we say our “o’s” a little funny and I’ll admit that the word Bubbler does exist in my vocabulary, but I never understood where the stereotype came from!

And then, I spent the weekend in Fond Du Lac/Oshkosh and I realized just how right on the stereotype is.

You guys, I’m not kidding when I tell you that on an hourly basis, while sitting at the softball fields, I heard someone yell out “Oh you betcha” or “sure, sure”. I even heard a few “Oh for the Christ’s” thrown in there and I couldn’t help but laugh each and every time I heard them because seriously…who talks like that, really! What’s funny about it all is that I lived in Oshkosh for almost a year and I don’t remember EVER hearing people talk like that, but now that I’ve been out of there for a number of years it’s more prominent to me than ever!

Sure I always giggle when my Oshkosh friends call me and I can hear their new “northern” accents becoming thicker and thicker but never have I heard them use the word “betcha”. But this weekend I realized that people DO say it, just north of my “neck of the woods”! Every time I heard someone say “Oh sure, sure, you betcha” I would laugh at them thinking they were obviously joking, but after about the third time I realized they were not in fact mocking the stereotype, but they WERE the stereotype.

*pause*

*blank stare*

Wait, you really do talk like that don’t you?

I’m glad to have gotten out of there before I adopted the language myself, but I can definitely appreciate it from afar! Sure it sounds funny, and it makes me giggle when I hear it, but I love it because it’s Wisconsin and this fine state of ours wouldn’t be the same without them.

Paris Hilton Went To Jail and All I Got Was This Lame Blog Entry

I don’t feel like I have much to write about. It was a nice weekend: Tara graduated with her MBA, Nicky turned 23, and Paris Hilton went to jail. Oh, and I bought season one of The Girls Next Door on DVD, I’m pretty excited about that. Other than that, I had your standard two days off topped off by your standard early Monday morning alarm clock. It’s foggy and dreary outside which tends to make Monday mornings a bit more intolerable but the temperature remains above 60 degrees which can never be a bad thing in my book.

And that’s all I have.

Much Funnier than The Bird

Every now and then my dad will bust out the “now, now” finger wave while driving. It’s sort of his ridiculously composed way of releasing road rage. I’ll always make fun of him whenever I see him shaking a finger at someone that just cut him off because honestly, who does that anymore…besides maybe my grandmother, but I like to think even she is too cool for that.

Today however, in the always heated morning commute to work, a woman looked me straight in the eye, and shook her finger at me the ENTIRE way through the very large intersection that we were stopped at…well, that I was stopped at. She apparently felt that regardless of who’s turn it REALLY was to cross through the intersection, she had made her complete stop sign stop (even though I know there’s no way she got one one thousand out before she was half way through the intersection) and that entitled her to go. I quickly threw on my brakes and let her pass in front of me but honestly began to laugh uncontrollably as I watched her shake her finger at me and spout something out through her mouth (although it’s very possible she was singing). I literally barely moved my tires before I realized she was going to make it HER turn and yet she truly felt the need to reprimand me, as if while braking I was spreading boogers on my five year old best friend or something. I hope she feels better now.

So there you have it, there are two people in the world that use the “now, now” finger wave…my dad, and the woman I will call Monique, because she looked like a Monique. I’ve decided that my grandmother IS too cool for the finger, so she is not counted. If you see either of them on the road, tell them I say hi.

Smells Are The Way to My Heart

I have a perfume obsession. I’m not sure why, but I do. It probably all stems back to my lack of commitment ability which inhibits me from even committing to a certain smell; which would explain my 34 bottles of perfume, and my 45 different boyfriends/girlfriends. Okay just kidding on that last part. On second thought, kidding on all of it. I don’t have commitment issues, I just like change…and perfume.

Last night my aunt provided me with perfume bottle number 35, Juicy Couture, to add to my already ridiculously large perfume collection. It’s a bit more floral-y than I normally wear (I’m a musk girl) but it smells clean and expensive. I like it! It’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. She also got me a really nice smelling candle (notice the trend here) and my aunt got me a nice card with my most favorite item…money =)

And why all the fuss do you ask? Why would all of these people go out of there way to get me some of my most favorite things on the planet?

Why because it’s my birthday week of course!!!! =) (Just in case you forgot)

The rest of the week isn’t as exciting. My mom and I are going apartment hunting tonight which I know is just going to stress me out more than anything and then we’ll possibly do dinner, which is sure to make any stress diminish almost immediately. I am very thankful that I have the ability to release stress and sadness through other therapeutic options outside of food because I feel as though I would be the “eater of my pain” if I didn’t. Food makes me feel so much better. Thankfully exercise and music makes me feel best =)

And now that this post is completely all over the place, I’m out!

A Nothing Post

My gosh do I have a hard time keeping up with this stupid blog. What is one supposed to write about when absolutely NOTHING out of the ordinary happens to them? I suppose at that point I could begin analyzing the everyday mundane: wake up, go to work, eat breakfast…but I’m not good at that. The mundane in my life is just that, mundane. I don’t have that unique talent of making even the most boring of task seem interesting and funny. I suppose you could consider it the “non-writer” in me. Or that I’m just not funny. That could be it too.

Seriously though (as if I made a joke), not much has been going on. In all honesty the thing I look forward to most these days is my weekly trip to New Berlin where I get to prance around in high heels and shake my goodies to a metal chair while laughing at how not sexy I can make a stripper move look. I think it’s the lankiness of my body stature. It doesn’t fit well on a chair. I think I’m more cut out for the pole. I’ll have to try that next.

Oh yeah, and keeping with the fitness theme, I did manage to bust out a 2 mile run and a 5 mile walk last week, that was fun! I wish the 5 miles had been a run, but I’ll work on that. I figured a 5 mile walk was pretty darn good considering the only exercise I have consistently managed to participate in since the marathon in 2004 is the walk up and down the stairs to my bedroom every morning. Someday I’ll be able to run 26.2 miles again. My knee may not agree with that statement, but to that I say “shush knee, who asked you”.

This weekend I have some fun wedding stuff to attend to, and then hopefully a night in Chicago with my friend Katie, so maybe at the end of it all I’ll have something interesting to post about. If not, maybe I’ll come back anyways to let you all know what I had for breakfast and maybe turn it into some elaborate story about how my Corn Pops somehow altered my course of life! Don’t count on it though. We all know only Lucky Charms has the ability to that =)

Too many thoughts to combine into an actual post

My end of week thoughts:

Is it that far fetched of an idea to think that we as humans have had a drastically devastating effect on the earth and the environment? And why does this have to be such a political debate. Shouldn’t we all want to do something good, to keep the place we live clean and healthy?

I could never, in a million years, work in a warehouse for 40 hours a week. Mad props to those that can!

Friendships need nurturing, and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

So do relationships for that matter. ALL relationships I guess.

Am I supposed to feel MORE sad about Anna Nicole Smith dying than I am say of the small child that was recently killed in my hometown, simply because she’s well recognized?

Getting paid for 25 hours of overtime that you spent in Orlando, Florida isn’t that bad of a deal.

I think it should be mandatory that every human being partake in some sort of Yoga exercise or meditation in the morning before they head to work. People on their morning commutes are entirely too stressed out to be driving…and sometimes they’re just mean. It hurts my feelings.

GWEN STEFANI is coming to the Bradley Center!! Who’s coming with me?!

And for that matter…what ever happened to that Justin Timberlake concert Jayne?

I spend way too much money, on too many unnecessary things.

I miss living next door to Jimmy Johns.

It’s funny how 12 degrees can feel so warm when you compare it to 15 below. Ah, the wonder of relative comparisons.

I love cinnamon, especially in the morning.

I enjoy getting up at 6:00 in the morning. I just wish my body felt the same way.

A Little Bit of Positivity Goes a Long Way

A few weeks ago, if you would have asked me how I was doing, I would have instinctively responded with “I’m fine”, as seems to be the common and accepted response these days to that question. But in all truth and honesty, I was sad and depressed. I was feeling really down and sorry for myself that I was living back at home and had no future job prospects in the making. Plus, to top it all off, the Christmas season was upon me and I couldn’t have wished for anything to pass over more quickly in my life. I was broke, and it was warm, and I was leaving for Christmas anyways to spend it in Utah, yes still with my family but, away from my beloved holiday tradition. I was just crabby about the situation in general. I hated feeling self indulgent but sometimes when the negative feelings come, it’s hard to replace them with something positive. It’s easier to just let them snowball sometimes.

That is, until something positive actually does come along! Today, two weeks later I am a happier person. I got the job I had been hoping for; we got a massive dumping of snow catapulting me into full blown Christmas mode, and to top it all off, WE’RE STICKING AROUND FOR CHRISTMAS! I couldn’t be more ecstatic with how things have worked out, and it feels so good to be happy about life again. Granted I’m still broke, and there’s no more snow left on the ground, oh...and I’m still living at home, but I’m okay with all of that =) I have the personal satisfaction of knowing I am spreading my wings and challenging life on my own, and I have the anticipation of a fantastic holiday season ahead of me. I have my fantastic friends, my loving family, a warm home, lots of love, and many other blessed things in my life. When you break it all down, and take a look at it all, I really am a very lucky girl. I only wish I could have seen that two weeks ago.

It Has Arrived

It's here! It's finally here!

That time of year when The Mix plays it's non-stop holiday music and when every store is bursting with twinkling lights and the smells of pine trees. It's the time of year when snow reminds you of innocence and days off of school and when the thought of Santa kept you awake at night. It's a time for decorated store windows and endless shopping lists. It's holiday cheer, warm egg nog, and falling in love around a fire place. Yet finally, who could forget the one thing that I look forward to most each and every year....

THE VICTORIA'S SECRET ANNUAL HOLIDAY CATALOGUE!

Each page is filled with gorgeous exotic lingerie, fabulous gift sets, and of course...adorable holiday attire (including a pink rhinestone Santa hat). Sure I can never afford the 6,000,000 bra that tends to show up, but it's fun to pretend none-the-less.

Now, I have vowed not to turn on The Mix to indulge in the holiday music until AFTER I get through Thanksgiving, and I'm certainly not ready to start putting up my Christmas Tree just yet. But there's something about the VS Holiday Catalogue that tells me...it's okay to start a little early this year. What girl couldn't use a sexy new nighty ;)

The credit card is patiently waiting in my wallet.

Back to School?

I never envisioned this whole “finding myself” process to be so stressful. As I watch my peers around me grow up and move into their “grown up” professional and personal lives, I’ve found myself taking a look at my own life and wondering…”Where the H am I going with it?!” As my year of resume padding at Christy’s Bridal has come to a close, the stress of job hunting has come upon me...again and yet, as I continue to browse through my options in the fashion industry (or lack there of in this area) I can’t help but realize that I’m no longer as passionate about it all as I once was.

Sure I love great clothes and over priced designer labels, but what I’ve found I love even more than that is the consumer behavior behind all of it. WHAT makes us buy what we do, HOW do we get them to continue to do it?! In my time at Christy’s I’ve found myself focusing more and more on the advertising and marketing portions of my job description, and less and less with the fashion portion of my job. I LOVE writing (although I’m not very good at it), I LOVE brainstorming with groups of people to regurgitate out some new great marketing idea, and I LOVE implementing all of that into one fabulous special event to promote the hell out of something!! Suddenly the dresses and the merchandising have taken a backseat to everything else I once thought was my “calling”.

I know that you hear all the time how many people transfer jobs like 30 times before they find something they love, and some people have two, three, even FOUR bachelors degrees on their resume because they just can’t seem to find that exact fit. I realize that in an age of limitless options it’s only natural that we’d take full advantage of all of it, but I never envisioned myself needing to. I always thought I was made for the fashion industry.

But as I do my own growing up, and my own personal career exploration I’m finding that what once was true just isn’t so much anymore. Dear lord the story of my life! So I’m contemplating heading back to school and switching focus a little bit; maybe something along the Advertising or Journalism lines. I have many creative friends already in the industries so I’ll have plenty of help along the way if need be, and plenty of advice to go off of this time around.

We’ll see though. Tomorrow is another day, with a whole different set of emotions to go along with it. =)

Shoutouts Number 3

With nothing else to post...here are my weekly shoutouts:

To Superstition! Without it, days like today (Friday the 13) would be meaningless and I wouldn't have an excuse to sit around all night and watch scary movies or secretly fear the ladder leaning up against my garage door at the moment.

To Erin! HAPPY BACHELORETTE PARTY WEEK!!! The DAYS are counting down until the big day. I absolutley can't wait!

To The Blushing Bride! Thanks for all the extra business ;)

To Winter! I HATE YOU. Ooohh I just cringed saying that. That sounded so evil. Okay I digress. I'm angry at your early arrival.

To Chicago! For always being such a happening, busy, welcoming metropolis. You make me miss you more and more every time I visit.

To Finding Old CD's! I've loved my drives to and from Milwaukee, jamming to the sounds of my past. =)

Life List

...because I feel it's important to take a look at your life and get focused on all that you hope to do with it.

(In no particular order)

With my life, I hope to:

Swim with the dolphins
Learn How to Play Guitar
Visit the rainforest
Eat more Vegetables
Drink more water
Learn How to Play the Bongos
Visit every continent…yes…even Antarctica
Become fluent in a foreign language
Watch a wale swim wildly in the ocean
Take an African Safari
Open my own business
Raise a family
Scuba Dive
Sky Dive!
Do more things that scare me
See the Grand Canyon
Take a cross country road trip
Live in New York City
Swim in the Mediterranean Sea
Bike through Ireland
Lick a frog
Study Buddhism under a Buddhist monk
Learn to cook
Volunteer more
Become a mentor