🌿Keeping the Streak, Letting Go of the Goal

-

 



I have been on Duolingo for 1,545 consecutive days.

That sounds much more impressive than it is. It does not mean I have spent 1,545 days becoming fluent in French. Some days I have done several lessons. Some days I have only done enough to keep the flame from going out.

At this point, I am not even sure why I maintain the streak.  Is it because I am devoted to French or because I refuse to be defeated by a cartoon owl.

For a long time, learning French had the usual framework around it: lessons, levels, progress and the distant possibility of becoming fluent. Fluency is a fine goal, but it can turn an interest into another job. There is always more vocabulary to learn, another verb tense to master and another level showing how far I still have to go.

Maybe, instead, I can simply be interested in French.

I do not have to become fluent to justify the time I spend with it. I can like the sound of the language, enjoy recognizing a sentence and remain curious about how French people actually speak. It can stay in my life without becoming an achievement I must complete.

I am keeping my Duolingo streak. After 1,545 days, abandoning it would feel wastefu, and the owl would probably come looking for me. But I have added something else that is helping me more with spoken French than anything else I have tried.

Each day, Chat sends me ten commonly used French words and phrases of the sort of language people use in ordinary conversation. I read them, say them aloud and become familiar with how they fit into actual speech.

I have been doing this for only nine days, but I can already feel a difference. The phrases are beginning to come to mind more naturally. Instead of collecting isolated vocabulary or trying to construct every sentence from grammar rules, I am learning small pieces of language that are ready to use.

Ten phrases a day does not sound ambitious. That may be why it is working.

I am taking a similar approach to the flute. I am not preparing for a solo career. I practice for about thirty minutes so I can remain ready to play with my ensemble. Thirty minutes keeps my fingers moving, my breathing working and the music familiar. It is enough to preserve a place for music in my life.

French and flute are no longer projects that require a grand result. They are simply things I do.

It is a relief to allow an interest to just be an interest. I do not need a certificate, a finish line or proof that I have reached my potential. I can practice French because I enjoy French. I can play the flute because I want to remain part of the ensemble.

I can keep the streak without pretending it is carrying me toward fluency. I can learn ten useful phrases today and ten more tomorrow. I can play the flute for thirty minutes and put it away.

Not everything worthwhile has to become a goal. Some things can simply bring pleasure.

Janis @ Maison Tranquille

Still Curious. Still Growing. Still Grateful.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy in the Garden

-
Image
Yesterday I worked in the garden instead of walking around the neighborhood.  It is a different feeling. It's true that I only got in about 6500 steps by the end of the day instead of over 10,000, but it was a different feeling.  Travis planted some tomatoes and peppers, I cleaned the lower deck and pulled some weeds.  Lucy dug in the dirt and felt so happy.  I felt the same way. Working in the garden makes you feel happy and productive. I was puzzled by a plant growing in the herb garden as a weed.  I started pulling them out but decided to check if they are edible.  Edible weeds, such as dandelion,  can be used in our smoothies.  I put a picture on Facebook to ask for help identifying the weed, and the consensus is that it is plantain.  Some say edible and some say not, but I am inclined to think that it is edible.  My brother, Max, lives up in the mountains, and his neighbor says it is edible and the smallest leaves are best with...
Read more

The Lou Corona Story

-
Image
Yesterday, we went to Magic Springs with our daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren.  The landscaping there is beautiful this year.  This one little flower didn't let a little concrete stop it.     Lunch today was three bananas which I ate about 1:30.  I'm letting my body rest a little bit after eating too much food the last couple of days.  I did domestic chores today.  But Travis made a trip to the City Compost Facility for another load of compost.  We'll use it on the trees we still have left to plant. We have a volunteer tomato plant coming up in one of the garden beds.  It's doing pretty well, too.  I have it on my to do list to buy some more tomato cages. The arugula I planted is up. The kale Travis planted is up. The new plum tree is planted. Here is a volunteer Poke Salat that came with the blueberry plant.  Travis planted some more blueberries in the blueberry row that lines our driveway. The...
Read more

Alko Shredder

-
Image
 It was chilly this morning, but I got out and worked a bit in the garden bed that had the strawberries moved out yesterday.  I fed it with the mineral supplement and fertilizer.  I started putting on compost, but ran out of time before I finished.  We are going to plant some kale in this bed. Bed #3 weeded, minerals added, fertilized, and partly composted. Travis and I went to an estate sale today.  First thing we saw was a garden shredder.  We bought it for $60.00 and brought it home.  There are lots of leaves in my yard that could be shredded. Our new used Alko shredder...made in Germany.    For dinner tonight I made a soup.  The inspiration came from Dara Dubinet on her You-tube video, but mine was different because I used what we had. My vegetable soup recipe:  Juice a beet, 6 carrots, 3 broccoli stalks, and a sweet potato.  Then heat a pot of water on the stove, but do not boil.  In the Vita-Mix, put 3 med...
Read more