Since it’s already the last week of the month, the “ZOMG IT’S A NEW DECADE SPAZZZ” phase has worn off a little, so I’m a slightly late on this “New Years’ Resolutions” list. But here I go anyway, all debate-format-like…
Resolved, I will work harder.
I didn’t have to work very hard in high school to do well, and that made for a pretty relaxing lifestyle. Then I came to Reed. All of a sudden everyone around me was more well-read, more articulate, more productive, and just flat-out smarter than I was. (And no, the use of “was” doesn’t indicate anything has changed in that regard – all of that is still true).
I knew this going in, but it was reinforced over the course of a semester: I can’t get by, let alone perform well, without a sharp increase in my work ethic. I’m not even close to being the smartest kid in the class anymore – and even if I was, it still wouldn’t be enough. My grandfather always told me about how he was never the smartest kid in law school – far from it, he would say. So in order to get ahead, he spent his summers reading all of the material for the following semester. He would go on to get a 95.5 on the bar exam.
Resolved, I will read for fun more often.
Reading is fun! Hum 110 is cool and all, but last semester I sort of forgot what reading for pleasure felt like. Then I did it for most of my winter break. It was amazing.
So, in an effort to nurture my soul and generally maintain a reasonable level of sanity, I will read fun books, for fun. These are the ones I’m planning to finish by the end of the spring semester:
“Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (I’m almost done with this one)
“A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer
“The English Patient” by Michael Ondaatje
“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers
I probably won’t get through all of these by mid-May, but in general, reading for fun is a good thing to do.
Resolved, I will be better at managing my money.
I can be really impulsive sometimes, especially when it comes to purchases. No, I’m not a compulsive clothes/shoes/expensive somethings shopper. I’m a compulsive food and drink buyer.
The worst part is how insidious it is, because food and drink purchases, on their own, aren’t very expensive. But when I buy three $3 lattes a day (even after I drink black coffee at home, but my coffee addiction is another story) and some chips and candy here and there, it adds up very, very quickly. It was even worse in Hong Kong, when the cost of paying for too many glasses of wine/scotch/beer burned through my wallet before I could say “Hangover? What hangover?” This needs to stop, simply because it’s bad habit. I can’t afford to do this once I start earning money on my own.
Resolved, I will make an effort to get to know people outside of Sullivan III.
I’ve made many good friends at Reed so far, and I love them all very, very much. The thing is, they all live within 100 feet of my living space. And that’s great and all, but it can feel a little restricting sometimes, and the last thing I want to do in college is settle into a clique. I never had one specific circle of friends in high school, and that’s a large part of why I was happy there (again, the first two years didn’t count).
The truth is, much of what constitutes “the Reed community” still lies far beyond my comfort zone, partially because I fit virtually none of the defined criteria for a Reedie. When I was choosing between Reed and Kenyon, the latter featured a campus community that seemed like a better fit. But despite all the things Kenyon had going for it – a prettier campus, better food, actual varsity athletics, a “better fit” – Reed was, without a doubt, the superior academic institution in every single way. I probably would have been more socially comfortable at some other college. But that doesn’t mean I can’t make friends here anyway. All it means is that it’ll take more effort on my part. Besides, the whole “I don’t fit the Reed stereotype” shtick is pretty much self-imposed anyway, and the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it’s actually kind of snotty. People are people, and people are generally good people. That should be enough, right? And this brings me to my final resolution…
Resolved, I will love people more expressively.
If you don’t know me very well, this revelation may be a bit of a surprise: I think people are awesome. If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know how often I’ve mentioned how important it is to love people. The problem, however, is this: much of it happens only in my head. I usually think very nice things about people, which is a good start, but it doesn’t mean much if none of it translates into action. Part of it is because while it doesn’t take much for me to like people, it takes a lot for me to be comfortable around people. But again, much of that discomfort is within my control. If I can really lay claim to genuinely loving and caring about people, I need to show it. I can’t fully describe what that is going to look or feel like, but I’ll know if I’m doing the right thing.
Resolved, I will sleep more.
Instead of going to bed, I wrote this blog post and now it’s 1:13 am. Time to hit the sack.
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