I tend to like quite a bit of structure in my life, and one of the fun ways I provide it for myself is to choose themes and carry them out.  What qualifies as a theme doesn't have a strict criteria (a person doesn't want to be TOO structured).  It can be a one-time theme, short in duration, or a theme over time.  It can be dropped and picked up again.  It can change in the middle.

Here's some discussion of topics for which I have themes:

 Reading

 

This is a topic that has so many possible themes it could get out of control.  Here are some I've thought of; some are in place.

•               Read every book a favorite author has written.
•               Read or re-read an author's series in order.
•               Read books I like more than once.
•               When a book references another book that seems                    interesting, read that book too.
•               Read the books I've collected but haven't read yet. 
•               Re-read books I've kept because I thought they                     were important and see if they still are.      
•               Around the World in 80 Books: topic and books                     suggested by my e-book's Reader Store website.
•               Special topic books:  dog training, violin playing,                   How To Retire Happy, Wild & Free.
•              Suggestions from friends.     

                     

Any book can be part of more than one theme, so the themes are not strictly defined.  I'm currently reading in an overall theme I call "FI80".  

•               F is for FUN.  Books in this category can be                           favorite authors, re-reads, and random books I                       pick up at the thrift store that look interesting                         (very shallow criteria here:  the title or cover                           attract me.)  Often they're quick reads or an                         author series, but sometimes they're meaty.           
•              I is for INFORMATIONAL:  Books in this                            category right now are ones I've collected but                        didn't choose to read when I was working because                I preferred no-brainer reading.  They are books                      with topics I find interesting, but are not page                        turners.  The one I'm reading now, for instance,                      is "The Right To Privacy" by Ellen Alderman                        and Caroline Kennedy, both attorneys, who                            use legal cases to explore what we think is our                      right to privacy, what the law says is our right to                    privacy, and how the law has evolved and is still                    evolving to define this right.
•              80 is for AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS,                a SO COOL theme which, as noted above, came to                me through an e-mail from the book website for                    my e-book.  Of course, the Reader Store would                      like me to buy all 80 books from them, at nearly-                  full price.  I'm too canny for that.  I'm buying them                used from half.com and Amazon.com.  

I've got a book from each of these areas available-meaning at the couch or my reading chair or the nightstand, at all times.  I'm also going through "How To Retire Happy, Wild & Free" again to spend some time on areas that I found helpful.    

Movies

Watching movies has always been an enjoyable pastime for Ron and I, but due to thriftiness and time/schedule constraints, we've mostly chosen to watch movies at home.  Local video/dvd stores for years, and more recently 

 
My movie themes are:

•              Continue our one-movie-a-week Netflix schedule
•              Go to the theater for EVERY SINGLE MOVIE WE                     WANT TO.  Every one. Whenever we like. 
•              I have a small collection of movies that were                               special enough for me to purchase.  A sub-theme                        could be this combo:  Favorite Movies & Pizza Nite.                  (This one is currently unrealized.   Might only do it                     during weeks we don't go to the theater.  Don't want                   to watch TOO many movies.)  

Dabbling

From merriam-webster.com:

 

: a superficial or intermittent interest, investigation, or experiment <his dabblings in philosophy and art> 

See the previous post "Going Off The Deep End" for a look at all the dabbling I'm doing.

Charity of the Month

 I'm not yet ready to do charitible giving in the form of volunteering time.  Ron and I have some financial giving already in place, and it occurred to me it would be fun to expand it with this theme.  It will be a modest fixed amount given locally.  Some months it will given to established charities.  Other months it will be in response to a fund-raising or special situation that catches our eye. 

 

 Theme Of Life

Play in the splashing water
Sit under the setting sun
Sing the song of joy
Before your life is done

And know that now is the moment
For life to take a turn
So dig deep in each layer
And see from it what you can learn

For this is the magical moment
So drown deeply in its beauty
And know only with zest
You can amazingly perform life's duty

So choose your theme carefully
And decorate your beautiful life
And learn to solve the puzzle
To overcome obstacles that survive

Just start the process of change
And grow and learn today
Before your life meets its end
Find plenty of encouraging ways

To take the challenge of time
And sit under the sun of joy
And sing melodiously with hope
And learn life's techniques to enjoy.

---Seema Chowdhury