Resolutions

I've never really put much faith in New Year's resolutions, but so far 2009 has been pretty convincing in my decision to start them.

When I look back at 2008 I'm reminded of many moments that in retrospect make me say "Ha, oh yeah, about that...". There were so many moments where I could have stood up and spoken out, but I chose to stay sitting with my hands folded softly in my lap. My life is much like one long game of monopoly where each player has the same amount of money. There are times when one person is ahead and the other is behind, but after just a few turns it evens out again. There have been so many opportunities to move forward and grow and gain new properties, but I always end up staying stagnant. I build on my properties, but only at the same rate as my neighbor, and I often stay in jail till long after my 3 turns are up, because I don't want to take a chance. Oh how I wish I was as likely to win a beauty contest in real life...

I don't want to be safe anymore. I want to take chances. So here are my resolutions, and some of them have already been put into action.

1. Try new things (I have recently started to pastel? I'm not sure what the verb for that is, but I have recently begun to create art through the medium of oil pastels. Hopefully some pictures to come soon...though they are basically just replicas of other artists. Also, I am notorious for being a picky eater. I will have you know that with Brandon Schenk as my witness, I tried calamari just a few days ago!)
2. Be an individual (this is an ongoing thing that I work at every day)
3. Meet new people (will hopefully begin as soon as people come back to Bloomington)
4. Reconnect with friends I've lost touch with

Number 4 is my favorite because it is probably the one I have worked the hardest on. Throughout the last few months (and even in some cases years) I have let certain obstacles come between me and some of the people that are very dear to my heart. And now that those obstacles are gone, I see how much I was missing out on. I don't ever want to let those people slip away from me ever again. I don't ever want to lose those connections. I am so thankful that I can see clearly now (the rain is gone hahaha)

I just realized that I have not done my signature "if we're being honest" at all in this post. It was sort of a joke with myself that I would throw it, or at least some version of it, in every single blog post. I guess in this case, it just wasn't necessary. (Add that to the list of new things I am trying...changing my vocabulary)