A frequent thought of mine: there are days that currently have no significance that one day will have significance.
Confused? Okay, that wasn't the best explanation. I'll try again...
Any random Tuesday (though it doesn't have to be a Tuesday, I'm just making a point) could in 5 or 10 years be your best friend's birthday, a national holiday, or your anniversary. Today, it's just a Tuesday, but at some point in the future it will become an important day. Not that there's any way to peg these days (without a future-seeing third eye, or a crystal ball (and the nutbag who comes with it)), but it's an interesting idea. At least to me.
Last night, for the first time, I considered the reverse side to this coin. Days that used to have a certain significance that has changed over time. These days aren't completely equal and opposite to the kind mentioned above. Once a day has meaning, you can't completely erase it if it relates to something that was very close to you. The birthday of a loved one who has died, or the anniversary of a now-divorced couple.
Today is my grandma's birthday. I remembered this last night while brushing my teeth.
This morning, my mom mentioned in passing, "My mom would have been 84 today." So is today my grandma's ex-birthday? I certainly wouldn't say 'happy birthday!' in response to my mom's comment. Then again the birthday of a loved one doesn't become any old day after death. Maybe a birthday shifts to a remembrance day.
So relatives remember loved ones on their ex-birthdays, divorcees reflect on marriages gone by on their ex-anniversaries. Any everyone else goes about their day, none the wiser.
Future Days and Ex-Days. A thought in progress.
December 27, 2010
December 26, 2010
My Year in Photos & Staving off Sickness
2010~ what a year. As of this evening, I officially survived another season of holiday parties and shmoosing with adults. When talking to a 22-year-old college senior, adults only seem to care about two questions:
1. Do you have a job?
2. Do you have a boyfriend?
There are three ways I can deal with these questions.
1. Answer the questions. "No, and...no" (of course, there's a longer, more complicated answer for question two, but seeing as I don't know these people very well and I'm not fond of disclosing self-incriminating details to casual acquaintances, just saying no is easier).
2. Pretend there is something far more interesting/distracting on the other side of the room that prevented me from hearing the question, and that I must go investigate right away.
3. Stuff my face with so much food that answering questions would be futile and somewhat gross.
But enough about that. It's over, and I am glad. In fact, this year is pretty much over, and I am glad.
For the remainder of this post, I'm going to sum up my year in travels. I didn't travel as much this year as I did the previous two, but I did get A LOT of experience traveling alone and last-minute. Traveling is my favorite thing in the world. It is quite literally my escape. When I don't travel enough, I get 'away sick' (like home sick but reverse).
January: Started the year off in Seattle. It was cold, but a crisp cold that can be remedied by wearing layers and drinking coffee. And Seattle is near Vancouver, the love-city of my life.
Then, a LONG travel break. Focusing on school. Very away sick.
but then....
June: Hawaii. Booked the flight 5 days before the trip. Humid, but not too hot, and gorgeous.
September: Booked a flight 6 days in advance. Spent the summer working 40 hours a week and needed a break. Been to this city many times, but never in September. Lovely Weather.
(See question 2 above....)
October: Rang in my 22nd in New Mexico. Hot air balloons aplenty. Fun and delicious (and paid for by my parents), but also reminded me why I like traveling alone sometimes.
Also October: Booked the flight 5 days in advance. A little colder than last time, but still quite lovely. (Again, refer to question 2)
November: Booked flight 3 days in advance (new record!). World series win=street riots. Exciting night.
December: No traveling, but too exhausted to be away sick. Making up for all the class I missed in October/November...
Now I'm done with the fall semester and home recovering/gearing up for the new year. Spending my free hours reading and doing all the fun things I don't have time for when I'm in school (long browsy trips to Cost Plus World Market!!!) Back to school a week from Monday, so not much time to get bored.
My 2011 travels commence January 8th (flying to New Orleans with a free first class ticket. Yay for parents with almost-expired miles). Kind of ironic that I'm flying first class to volunteer at a shelter and rebuild hurricane Katrina homes, but I swear, I only did it because there weren't any free coach seats available. My fingers are crossed for a Europe trip in early summer (my parents are willing to pay for it because a) I don't want a graduation party, b) I got straight A's this semester [with three 400-level accounting classes--not too shabby], and c) I suspect they feel bad for me--but hey, I'll take it)
Cheers to 2010. For better or for worse, you are now over and old news.
Cheers to the year to come. A blank slate sounds refreshing.
Isn't it crazy how much things can change in a year? Who knows what life will be like 365 days from today.
Adios amigos.
1. Do you have a job?
2. Do you have a boyfriend?
There are three ways I can deal with these questions.
1. Answer the questions. "No, and...no" (of course, there's a longer, more complicated answer for question two, but seeing as I don't know these people very well and I'm not fond of disclosing self-incriminating details to casual acquaintances, just saying no is easier).
2. Pretend there is something far more interesting/distracting on the other side of the room that prevented me from hearing the question, and that I must go investigate right away.
3. Stuff my face with so much food that answering questions would be futile and somewhat gross.
But enough about that. It's over, and I am glad. In fact, this year is pretty much over, and I am glad.
For the remainder of this post, I'm going to sum up my year in travels. I didn't travel as much this year as I did the previous two, but I did get A LOT of experience traveling alone and last-minute. Traveling is my favorite thing in the world. It is quite literally my escape. When I don't travel enough, I get 'away sick' (like home sick but reverse).
January: Started the year off in Seattle. It was cold, but a crisp cold that can be remedied by wearing layers and drinking coffee. And Seattle is near Vancouver, the love-city of my life.
Then, a LONG travel break. Focusing on school. Very away sick.
but then....
June: Hawaii. Booked the flight 5 days before the trip. Humid, but not too hot, and gorgeous.
September: Booked a flight 6 days in advance. Spent the summer working 40 hours a week and needed a break. Been to this city many times, but never in September. Lovely Weather.
(See question 2 above....)
October: Rang in my 22nd in New Mexico. Hot air balloons aplenty. Fun and delicious (and paid for by my parents), but also reminded me why I like traveling alone sometimes.
Also October: Booked the flight 5 days in advance. A little colder than last time, but still quite lovely. (Again, refer to question 2)
November: Booked flight 3 days in advance (new record!). World series win=street riots. Exciting night.
December: No traveling, but too exhausted to be away sick. Making up for all the class I missed in October/November...
Now I'm done with the fall semester and home recovering/gearing up for the new year. Spending my free hours reading and doing all the fun things I don't have time for when I'm in school (long browsy trips to Cost Plus World Market!!!) Back to school a week from Monday, so not much time to get bored.
My 2011 travels commence January 8th (flying to New Orleans with a free first class ticket. Yay for parents with almost-expired miles). Kind of ironic that I'm flying first class to volunteer at a shelter and rebuild hurricane Katrina homes, but I swear, I only did it because there weren't any free coach seats available. My fingers are crossed for a Europe trip in early summer (my parents are willing to pay for it because a) I don't want a graduation party, b) I got straight A's this semester [with three 400-level accounting classes--not too shabby], and c) I suspect they feel bad for me--but hey, I'll take it)
Cheers to 2010. For better or for worse, you are now over and old news.
Cheers to the year to come. A blank slate sounds refreshing.
Isn't it crazy how much things can change in a year? Who knows what life will be like 365 days from today.
Adios amigos.
December 25, 2010
Cwissmas
I'm listening to Bob Dylan, which can only mean one thing: new blog entry coming soon.
Probably tonight, when normal people are asleep.
Mewwy Cwissmas
Love,
Bored Jew
Probably tonight, when normal people are asleep.
Mewwy Cwissmas
Love,
Bored Jew
December 11, 2010
December 1, 2010
Guess what today is?
Disclaimer: I don't actually know this dog. I googled Hanukkah, and this is what showed up.November 30, 2010
The Resilience Curve
I know I've been awfully philosophical lately, but I write what I think about, and this is what's on my mind.
Here is a shoddily constructed graph (don't have access to my normal graph-making program so I found some random website with a drawing pad), showing the relationship between Resilience and Adversity.
Basically, we develop resilience by facing and overcoming adversity. In the nature vs. nurture debate, I generally believe that each plays a 50-50 part. However, concerning resilience, I think nurture is the key player, and nature assists. That is not to say that nature isn't a factor, but certain people lack resilience simply because they don't ever face circumstances that require them to need it.
Now, to explain the graph:
(a) what you are mistaking for TP or RB is just a minor case of burnout or a dip in your
resilience curve.
(b) things can always get worse, so stop your whining.
Basically, we develop resilience by facing and overcoming adversity. In the nature vs. nurture debate, I generally believe that each plays a 50-50 part. However, concerning resilience, I think nurture is the key player, and nature assists. That is not to say that nature isn't a factor, but certain people lack resilience simply because they don't ever face circumstances that require them to need it.
Now, to explain the graph:
- Point Na (Nature)- the Resilience curve doesn't start all the way at zero. The distance between the axis and this point, Na, takes into account that we are all born with some level of resilience whether we need to use it or not. However, without having had any adversity to overcome, we are still in a state of naiveté.
- As we live our lives, we face various setbacks. There are some dips in the curve, but overall we are able to move past them and increase our level of resilience. Over time, the curve will level out, same for some minor vacillations. This pattern can repeat indefinitely, but varies from person to person.
- Point TP (The Tipping Point)- for some, this is the major setback or series of setbacks that finally knocks them over the edge. When one has faced so much adversity that their level of resilience dwindles and they begin to lose hope. At this point, one must either find a new source of resilience, or hit RB.
- Point RB (Rock Bottom)- Hopefully most of you never end up here; this is the lowest of the low. I haven't put much thought into what rock bottom actually is (how do you know when you're there...and are you even alive at this point??). I guess it's another one of those subjective, figure-it-out-in-hindsight ideas.
(a) what you are mistaking for TP or RB is just a minor case of burnout or a dip in your
resilience curve.
(b) things can always get worse, so stop your whining.
November 23, 2010
Gratitude
The theme of my leadership class this morning was gratitude in honor of Thanksgiving. Besides going around the room and sharing what we were thankful for (a fairly typical Thanksgivingy activity) one activity was particularly noteworthy.
The majority of the class was instructed to lie on the ground with their eyes closed, and a few class members stood over them. The facilitators read off questions, and the standers would walk around and tap all the people on the ground to whom it applied. (who is intelligent, who is a leader, who makes their parents proud...etc.). Then another group would stand and tap, until everyone had a chance.
For most of the questions, I didn't think people would tap me. But they did. A lot.
So besides the family/health/happiness that most people are thankful for, I'm thankful for others, and their ability to see the good qualities that I sometimes fail to see in myself.
The majority of the class was instructed to lie on the ground with their eyes closed, and a few class members stood over them. The facilitators read off questions, and the standers would walk around and tap all the people on the ground to whom it applied. (who is intelligent, who is a leader, who makes their parents proud...etc.). Then another group would stand and tap, until everyone had a chance.
For most of the questions, I didn't think people would tap me. But they did. A lot.
So besides the family/health/happiness that most people are thankful for, I'm thankful for others, and their ability to see the good qualities that I sometimes fail to see in myself.
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