Free Time

My time is my own here in Seattle. I'm not fully sure how to handle this. 

Right now, I don't have a job. I need one, badly, but I don't have a 8-5 or even part time job. 
Just my internship. 

This frees up all day, every day. It's weird. 

I don't have a lot of friends yet, or a community outside those whom I live with. This means I don't have invitations to hang out every night and day or people I can call when I we have a moment to go get coffee. 

I am alone more than I am with someone I know. 

THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE NOW!!! 

Here's my issue: I don't know yet what to do with my free time. 

I walk, all the time. I took a walk today for three and a half hours. The other day, I had a six hour walk. My average mileage a day in walking is five miles. 
I sketch and paint a lot. To the point where I am hesitant to keep doing this as I don't want to tire of it. These are the only art supplies I have with me, so I can't really branch out on mediums right now. (Maybe once I have a job and income, I'll head to the art store and go crazy with supplies.) 
I listen to and read the bible a lot, I also listen to podcasts of sermons - multiple a day. 
I watch artist videos and lectures - TED talks are my best friend. 
I clean dishes a bunch. 
I cook from scratch daily. 
I take a plethora of photos. 
I spent and hour looking up the housing market in Fort Worth in preparation for when I return.
I started my brain-dump and soon to be business plan for my studio and art program
I'm trying to read good books.  
I blog more! 
I journal now. My feelings, thoughts and prays to the Lord. 

There isn't really stuff for me to pick up in my room as I don't have much. So I don't need to add "Clean room" to my weekly to do list. 
Since I don't know my area well yet, there are not tons of exhibits or places I know of that I can go visit. I have no passes or subscriptions anywhere. 
I have no car and the bus costs money I don't want to spend right now. 

There is plenty I would like to do! All these museums I want to go to, places I want to eat at, coffee and baked goods I want in my belly... I just have a very limited budget, so if it isn't free... I can't do it right now. 

I was the busiest person I knew back in Texas, and now... now I have tons of time and I am not sure how to use it yet, or how to use it wisely. I'm learning and growing in lots of ways here, and I think learning to slow down in life is actually a lesson I am learning now. Learning to rest and rest well. I didn't realize I didn't know how to do that. 

For me personally, it is easy for me to freak out when I realize I don't have every day of my life scheduled out. I start to think that I am not doing enough with my time or that maybe I should go volunteer or something. This isn't necessarily true. 
In Texas, I glorified busy. I was ALWAYS running from one event to the next, hardly taking time to sleep, eat or breath. There was no rest time - resting drove me nuts. 

Here, I realize, time is precious, I knew that before, but, in my non-busy lifestyle, time is even more precious feeling now. My time is spent where I want it, and I have the choice to spend  wisely in ways that build me up and set me on a path to be more like Jesus or make me better at my craft, or I could spend my time doing things that are fleeting in this life time.

That is a powerful choice. I'm working toward the former. 

I guess we will all see how this ends up after my six months here.