Goals

I'm a huge fan of goals both big and small-- even the smallest goals keep me striving for things that are outside of the day to day comfort zone, which I like.  I'm a dreamer by nature and my imagination loves to run away with the thoughts of living in far off places, having various jobs, experiences, and learning new things.  I'd love to learn to sew, paint, I imagine sculpting lovely mugs for tea, etc.  While time and skill will not allow every one of these little dreams to be reached in the near future, there are some that I can fight for a bit more than others. For the past few years, I have wanted so badly to learn how to play guitar.  I have had numerous people try to teach me, but it is not coming easily at all.  My husband would tell you it's because I rarely practice, and he would be right, but it's certainly not that I haven't tried.  I get the guitar out to practice, and immediately forget everything I have learned just days before.  Other instruments have come much more naturally to me, but this is the one I really want to learn and learn well.
It may come as a surprise (or not...:)) that I am not always the most patient person in the world.  If I can't pick up the guitar and belt out a song like I'm the next Brandi Carlile then it isn't much fun to play at all.  Not exactly an attitude I want to have, and it's only the occasional attitude that slips its way in there.  That is not the lesson I want to teach Henry at all, so I have picked up the guitar and am trying again.  And this time I'm going to make it happen.  I want to teach this boy that he needs to be persistent and patient in things he wishes to accomplish, so for that reason and because I honestly have the desire to play, I'm resetting the goal to play guitar.  Hold me to it!
I have been practicing chords, but simply memorizing chords hasn't proven to be the best way for me to learn. I have no doubts that if I want to be a truly good player I need to memorize and connect them all, but I'm much more inspired to play by the music that I love.  There are certain songs I listen to that I would so love to be able to play along with, so I find myself more motivated when I learn the chords for those pieces. I have decided this will be the perfect goal for the winter, as it is currently -4 degrees outside, we will have plenty of time indoors.  I need to learn, and Henry loves to participate.  He bounces and dances with each strum, and loves every opportunity to get his fingers on those strings.

A few of my favorites:
Probably my all time favorite song
another great one
and this one