Eighth and Last Blog- Hurray!!!

Oh my gosh... This is the last blog. I thought the day would never come. I am so, so, so excited!!! I'm almost finished with all of my work and that's putting me in a great mood. So, for this last blog, we have to compare our project to the project in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Here goes!

My project was learning how to play the guitar. Why did I choose this project? For many reasons. First of all, I thought it would have a life-long, valuable impact on me. The first day of summer I was fantasizing playing the guitar around a campfire on a warm summer night with the stars twinkling overhead for many years to come. Secondly, the guitar is popular among Americans, which means that playing the guitar in front of an audience is that much better. It seems more enjoyable to be playing an instrument that is familiar among the people, versus one that is unfamiliar, simply because the people will take more pleasure in listening to it. Thirdly, it was just my personal preference to learn to play this particular instrument. I love the sound of it; I love hearing songs accompanied by a guitar.

In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver also chooses to take on a project that she hoped to be lifechanging, similar to my hopes. She decides to embark on an year-long expedition involving the eating of only locally-grown produce. I admire her determination; and how she followed all the way through with some minor exceptions (the cranberries on Thanksgiving.) Both Kingsolver and I learned many important and signficant lessons along the way. First, nothing ever comes easy. It was not a project that I danced my way through smiling and laughing. It involved labor and frusteration. It was difficult for me to play chords without a buzzing or muted noise. It was difficult for Kingsolver to plant all of those vegetables and to take unconditonal care of them. Although I must say, her labor was ten times more difficult than mine!

In the end, though, Kingsolver and I both discovered how worth it the project was. We learned many lessons along the way. We experienced new things. We branched out from inside our comfortable bubble. I feel as though we are both changed citizens. Our outlook on the world is just a little different from how it was before. Ifeel as though we accomplished something great, and not because of the end result, but the steps we took to get there.