2007 Resolutions

Predictably, right after I escaped from life long enough to make a blog post, I got pulled away again. Good times were had back home, but it's time to return to the serious business of college. You know, with all the learning and enlightenment and BWA HAHA HA! *snort* I can't believe I made it that far with a straight face. I mean, yeah, there will be learning, but we all know that college is much more than a school. So instead, let me just say that I'm getting back to college, with all that college entails. And in the spirit of the new year (never mind the fact that it's been the new year for two weeks at this point), let's make some resolutions, shall we?

Just a quick preface: Most of these resolutions aren't measurable. They're more like general aspirations and goals that I'm setting to give myself some direction. In other words, if I'm ever feeling adrift and trying to remember what I'm doing with my life, these resolutions are a handy list that I can reference to get myself back on track. At least, that's the theory.

This year, I resolve to (in no particular order):

1. Shake things up - "Well," you're probably saying to yourself, "that's ridiculously vague." Hey, how about you give me a chance to elaborate, OK? Geez, you guys are so demanding... For a start, back home over break, I mentioned to a few friends that I was toying with the idea of growing a beard. After encouragement from them and a few comments from others that hardened my resolve (for example, one of my coworkers over break said "When I saw you come in last week, I thought you were a high schooler."), I'm going to give it a shot. The current plan is to not shave for a week (starting yesterday) and reevaluate the idea next weekend. If I like the way things are looking, I'll let this Great Beard Experiment (almost typed "Great Bread Experiment" by accident, which would probably be more delicious but less exciting for me) continue. Other ways in which I plan to shake up my life include being braver in my personal life. I'll leave the interpretation of that to your imagination. Besides, quite frankly, I'm not sure what that means yet either.
2. Be less judgmental - This one came up in a sermon that I attended during break, and I've decided to adopt it because it's very apropos for me. Basically, I want to avoid making snap judgments of people, which I do all the time. On the drive back to Lehigh, I drove behind a car with "Kerry/Edwards" bumper sticker and, based on that one observation, started making all sorts of conclusions about the driver, such as that it must have been someone who hasn't gotten over the last presidential election. While that's possible, it's also equally likely that the driver was simply lazy or forgot that the sticker was there, so my judgment was a conjecture, at best. Stopping these types of judgments will be difficult, because I can't tell my brain to stop thinking, but I want to be more able to recognize when I make these judgments, which is the first step to stopping them. Also, I sometimes have very malicious thoughts about people whose lifestyles or ideas are disagreeable to me. Instead, I'd like to learn to disagree with the behaviors or ideas but still respect the person, keeping in mind that everyone takes different paths for complicated reasons and that some of my behaviors/ideas are probably equally disagreeable to others.
3. Finish some books - This resolution is easily the most concrete one of the bunch. I have 7 different books I've been juggling since last year, and I want to start finishing them. Class textbooks take precedence, but there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to work in some of my personal books in between those. I'm hoping to finish at least 3 of my books by the end of the semester, and I refuse to buy any new books until I attempt to read each of those 7 books. I expect to find 1 or 2 of the books to be dull or rehashes of topics I've read elsewhere, so I may not finish those books, but I want to open them and give them a chance.
4. Take better care of my body - Each new year, I attempt this. I think last year was better than most, but I'm going to try to make more improvements this year. Specifically, I want to start a daily exercise routine (maybe some push-ups and sit-ups, in addition to all the walking I do?) and to cut down on the fast/greasy food I eat. I'm not going to set tangible benchmarks because those have never worked for me for this resolution.
5. Be more giving - While I think I can stay true to the spirit of this one, I have an ambitious (ambitious for me, anyway) goal attached to it. I'd like to participate in 2 community service projects this year. I haven't done community service since high school (volunteering for campaigns doesn't really count, in my mind), and I feel terrible for that fact. I may be involved in groups on campus that try to make a difference, but those efforts are mostly focused on the campus, and not the community at large. If you have any recommendations about what sort of projects I should try to help, let me know.
6. Be less self-centered - I recognize the irony of having this in my resolutions, which are all about me, but the transition between years is supposed to be the time when one reflects and tries to make adjustments as necessary. But after having spent the time to make these, it occurred to me that I spend too much time on introspection, which risks rendering me oblivious to the plights of those who matter most to me: my friends and family. This year, I want to be more attentive to them (which likely means you) and more engaged in their lives in those areas where they desire help. In that spirit, let me extend the following offer to you: If you ever need someone to listen, I'm all ears.

Finally, thanks for indulging me and suffering through all the introspection and reflections that I've put into these writings over the years. I've found that sharing myself with you really helps me, and I hope to return the favor to each of you whenever I can. Happy New Year, and as always, best of luck!

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