January 20, 2006:

Welcome back to school! Welcome to the New Year!

For me, at least, everything is starting off really well. Winter Break was pleasant and restful except for getting my wisdom teeth pulled (see picture below). But even then, I was able to eat some of my favorite foods—cottage cheese, fruit preserves, and LOTS of fruit smoothies, including bubble drinks from Joy Yee’s!!!

We should always have goals for improving ourselves, but the New Year just so happens to be a perfect place to start off with a clean slate. Some of my personal goals are the following: to get more involved with volunteering at nature preserves, being more social, more relaxed, and trying to run almost every day. I also want to be more disciplined with Tae Kwon Do this semester. A vacation to Mexico is in the works for July; I am looking forward to that.

One thing I am very proud of so far is that I am setting time aside for myself to sit down and READ, for fun. I could not afford that luxury last semester. I almost forgot how important that time is to me – I cannot imagine a more peaceful setting than sitting down with a good book on my couch with a cup of tea. My mind can stretch and expand. I can reflect on my thoughts. It’s almost like meditation.

On that note… make it a personal goal of yours to reflect every day. Not on the monotonous day-to-day details. Focus on what matters to you. If you can, close your eyes and meditate. Find your center, and if you practice enough, everything will simply make sense. It’s the most liberating feeling in the world, and I only wish that everyone would dedicate themselves to achieving this state. We owe it to ourselves. What’s more, it makes all of the negative thoughts, feelings, and confusing details in our lives dissipate, giving clear perspective and sense of peace. Is that goal not worth striving for?

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