It's another new year!
I've been seeing a lot of reflections from everyone across social media. Mostly "7 Selfies From 2017" or another Insta story glamorizing all the different places a friend saw or things they did in twelve month's time.
And while that's all well and good, truly, I can't help but bestow my own contribution toward the reflection. 2017 held some big lessons for me, some I wasn't overly prepared to rise up to. Maybe soon I'll write every little detail about 2017, how it changed me, broke me, yet prepared me for another trip 'round the sun.
These are 7 things I learned in 2017:
1. Getting up early is worth it, I promise.
I wrote about this in my birthday lessons post , but some months down the line, it's even truer. I can count on one hand the times I was able to sleep in this past semester, and even the times I did, I couldn't help the feeling that something in my day was now wasted. This feeling I can't deny has followed me for a while but has always been easier on days I wake to greet the sun.
2. Eat right. And I mean 3-good-meals-a-day right. PLEASE.
College life is exactly well-suited to effortlessly have three consecutive meals. We all have busy lives ranging from things like rehearsals to jobs to games to class to internships. It's by no means easy, but going the extra step (or rather the extra alarm in the morning to pack snacks and lunches) is well worth it over the agonizing claw of hunger attacking in the middle of your night class: trust me.
3. Travel, even if it's not that far.
Without the ability to go abroad again, I was pretty bummed about being stuck in the states for most of the year after the summer. I took the past semester to at least go more upstate (let me tell you--if I can't live in a town as cute as Rhinebeck when I'm old, I'm going to be a little disappointed in myself) and see places around me I hadn't before. I even got to go to Washington for the first time! Shout out to Tenley, Jimmy, Shree, and everyone else from that weekend; it'll probably stay with me for a while.
4. Don't let go of what's important to you.
And I don't care what it is. Took some major steps to know and secure the activities and hobbies I want to keep in my life. Don't let someone else dictate what your passions should be.
5. Good music will literally fix any bad mood you're in.
Doing some purpose-digging required me to delve more into my love for music. Music has been perhaps one of the two constants in my life since I was young, and I have no more doubts it's meant to stay with me forever in whatever forms it may appear in. That being said, this year I took to discovering new artists which lead to a reborn love of this craft of opening our mouths to release sounds.
6. Mental health should always come first.
This one was on the back burner for too many years. I'm no longer ashamed to admit I struggle with mental illness, and I'm getting the help I should have gotten back in high school.
And although things have gotten better, my waiting has had its effects. So I beg you: if you have the chance, don't make the same mistake.
7. Your past does not define you.
This summer and semester I've made noticeable progress with my past and mistakes and things that happened. It's taken me the bulk of four years to learn bad experiences may change me, but don't have to define the rest of my life. My life never ended after bad things, and neither did the world.
This year was very eye-opening and in not so pretty ways. I'm leaving someone behind who, although it still stings to know they're not beside me, never deserved to stay this long. I'm also making some big leaps in the next few months; hopefully, the landing isn't so bad...
...for any of us.