The Beginning of the End

Winter break is coming to an end, the holiday season is over, and a New Year has arrived. It's a bit sad but a bit exciting at the same time. Completely bittersweet.

First off, I for one LOVE the holiday time. The spirit. The music. The joy. The lights. All the giving. Cuddling. Hazelnut hot chocolate. It's all so adorable. However, with the end of all that is the New Year. There's something exciting about the New Year, aside from the partying of course. Everything feels so.. so fresh. So new. And yeah that's the point. Time to make resolutions and be a "better person". We've all experienced how those resolutions are created with such ambition and soon enough pushed off to the side. Every year my best friend and I make a list of things we want to improve and work on, and vow to help each other accomplish our goals. Unsurprisingly, a month in, our lives basically return back to normal. In reality, a new year feels like a break from the cycle, and thus a time of reflection. Yet this year, I decided to take a new approach to the new year. I boiled the list down to two things. Two things I really want to work on. Two things that I feel will make me more confident and likable.

First off, I want to be more conscious on how I treat others and make them feel. I want to be encouraging, giving, and helpful. A few days ago, we had a "Beginning of the End Party". Aka celebrating the starting of our last semester as seniors. A friend's birthday had just passed a few days prior, and I felt I hadn't done enough for her, especially since she does so much for me. Consequently, I brought a red velvet cake for her and the few others that were early. Not that I'm pointing this out to be pretentious and win brownie points— trust me, that's far from the point. In fact, what I'm trying to say is I considered the gesture small and wasn't expecting much gratitude. However, she was genuinely appreciative, and it was cute how the small amount of thought made her feel so cared for. As the year goes on, I want to make sure those who I care about know it. I feel this has been quite successful so far, especially since I feel so close to my IB family right now, like crazy close. Everyone is going through their own trials and tribulations— whether it be school or family or relationships. And even if the advice may not be helpful or the situation may still be unresolved, we're all going through it together, finding comfort in that simple hug and genuine person available for venting. I know many of you girls have been having a tough past few weeks, and i just want to remind you "you'll turn out fine. Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine. But you gotta keep your head up and you can let your hair down.. I know it's hard, know it's hard to remember sometimes, but you gotta keep your head up" :).

Secondly, as cliche as it is, I want to work on my health. My friend and I have been going to the gym for the past three weeks, and I honestly really enjoy it. Time passes so much faster than at swim and soccer practice. And the light and invincible feeling afterward— totally worth it. Another thing I've noticed about myself is when I work out, I tend to be more conscious about eating well. Yet when I don't work out, I don't care as much and eat worse. Thus, working out is a win win situation!

Now the worst part: back to school. Not gonna lie, several times during this break I've thought about how great it would be to be a normal senior. Showing up to class when I feel like it, getting senioritis, just cruising through the day without much work. The desire is so prominent as I watch others around me with the stress-free lifestyle. Yet at the same time, I'm so glad I followed through with IB. Definitely a life-changing decision that's molded me to be who I am today. I love the spirit and bond we all have. You'd think that with knowing so much work is yet to come, I'd be ready for the last semester to fly by. In a sense I am. I can't wait until college! Especially when I reflect on all the freedom and opportunities. Yet at the same time, I'm not going to spend the semester just waiting for it to end. I want to enjoy myself and embrace the year. It's the last few months everyone will be together, and seeing how wonderful our class is doing with acceptances (already have MIT, Harvard, and University of Chicago acceptances, congrats guys!) we'll be going our separate ways to create our own paths to success. So, as crazy as it may seem, I look forward to struggling through these last few months with everyone's highs and lows. No doubt the next four months will be memorable as we end senior year creating strong bonds and following through with endless shenanigans.