Following the philosophy of the Indian Proverb, A House With Four Rooms, I do something daily for my Physical, Mental,  Emotional, and Spiritual well-being.

My Mental/Intellectual Room is a room I spend a great deal of time; I tend to “overthink” everything. It is my habit to read each morning for approximately an hour. I read several different types of materials, and I do my best reading in the morning. My ritual is to have coffee and read. This habit started many years ago when I made a New Year’s resolution to read a book a week. I wanted to make sure I was investigating new ideas; it was my desire to learn about many things, and I found I could do this by reading something every day. I often read newspapers and articles online; I tend to have a novel or memoir by my chair, and I have a stack of magazines and daily devotions that I “visit” each day. I never really thought of myself as being curious, but I do have a thirst to know things. I think this is a good routine, and I benefit from this strategy.

     My children are the same way; they read every day (it is true that children adopt behaviors that are modeled for them). As they were growing up, I repeated my belief that as humans, we are lifelong learners. My home has always had a room dedicated to books, but they overflow into all the other rooms of the house. We are surrounded. Now that my children have moved into homes of their own, they too have surrounded themselves with books. Our collections are not limited to any one subject; we each have a thirst for knowledge, entertainment, and enlightenment.

     Reading isn’t the only way one goes into the Mental Room. I find taking classes and exploring new interests a wonderful way to continue learning. I believe education isn’t limited to the four walls of a school building; there are many opportunities to engage all learners. Distance education has opened the way for many people to take classes online and to travel with a purpose. I’ve done both, and I will continue to take classes and travel because there is so much to learn and do.

     A visit to my Mental Room includes a host of other opportunities, such as conversations with interesting people and the sharing of ideas and thoughts. I’ve recently started listening to podcasts and reading blogs. These activities have added to my curiosity and motivated me to attempt creating my own blog. So far, I’d have to say my blogging experience is challenging in several ways. For starters, navigating the website, finding a theme, learning about categories and tags, trying to figure out how to make links, etc. has been confusing, but I’m perservaring. I’m enjoying the reflective practice of writing, and I’m learning new things...so, I’m comfortable with the idea that my Intellectual Room gets sufficiently aired.

     So, what’s on your mind? Read more at www.ahousewithfourrooms.com.

     What do you like to do to “air out” your Mental Room? I hope you’ll share by leaving a comment.

     Lisa

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something.  -- Neil Gaiman