New Year, New Resolutions

        Hi everyone – I hope you’re all having a relaxing break and happy holidays! I truly can’t believe that 2016 is starting in just a few days. 2016 is a big year for me, a year full of nagging unknowns, bittersweet ends, and exciting-yet-scary beginnings. In 2016, like many seniors, I will find out what schools have accepted me, graduate from high school, leave the house I’ve lived in for 18 years, and begin my freshman year of college. In the past few days, I’ve had time to contemplate the year to come…and I’ve realized that, in light of all these crazy changes, I feel happy, sad, nervous, impatient, and excited – all at once.

        My mind can’t stop swirling with questions – where will I be this fall? Who will I meet? What will I study? What will I learn? How will I succeed? How will I fail? What will scare me? What will I embrace? Will I be homesick? Will I find myself, or will I feel lost? Where will I live? (Will I like the food?) Will I embrace my independence, or will I feel overwhelmed?

        Rationally, I know that there is no possible way to find answers to these questions until I am actually in college, living my life, going to class, and finding my niche. I also know that, the more I think about all of these great big question marks, the more worried and unsure I feel.

        Somehow, I need to stop this internal dialogue of worry and self-doubt. To distract myself and reprioritize my concerns, I’ve decided to make a few New Year’s resolutions (not the most original idea ever, but tried and true for a reason, right?). So here’s my brief list of resolutions – hopefully, they’ll inspire you, too, whether you’re a freshman (just trying to safely make it through your first year of high school) or a seasoned senior (still facing the scariness of the future that lies beyond that June 12th graduation) …

2016 RESOLUTIONS

Live in the moment by:

1.     Trying something new every month – it’s too easy to be trapped in the unendingly repetitive high school routine; before I leave, I want to be able to look back and remember some awesome new things I tried in my own city, which, sadly, I have not explored enough in my 18 years (ideas: kayaking on one of the three rivers, Klavon’s ice cream sundaes in the strip district, biking downtown, etc.)

2.     Cooking more – I love to cook and bake, but I don’t have (or don’t always make) time to cook as often as I would like. However, no matter how busy I am next semester, I want to make more dinners, to try out crazy new recipes (and to invent my own recipes) for my family and friends. After all, there’s something incredibly inspiring about transforming fresh ingredients into dishes that can brighten people’s days.

3.     Writing (for fun) more – This past fall, I feel like all I did was write…but mostly only college essays and English research papers. Not that there is anything wrong with this type of writing, but, somehow, it doesn’t have the same enjoyable effect as sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. Hopefully, I’ll be able to accomplish this goal with my creative comp class next semester! But I need to remind myself that it’s important to take time to do things I love, like writing, even if they’re not “for a grade.”

I wish you all a fantastic 2016 (and I’m so thankful for all of the awesome Tapestry stuff we accomplished in 2015)!

~ Sophie