Resolve to Improve
Updates
Well, we made it. Finished my first semester of grad school with just a few bumps and scrapes along the way. There were some difficult times, lots of work, but all around good experiences as well as new people I'm very grateful to have met. As I write this I'm waiting to board a plane to head back to Arizona for a few weeks and get some TLC.
If you're still around, I'd like to thank you for reading these letters and hope you'll continue to do so in the new year. This next semester will hopefully be less *gestures widely* and I'll be able to spend a bit more time writing and working on the projects I've pretty much neglected this semester.
New Year, New Me
I normally don't make new year's resolution because I believe that anyone can decide to change at any time, and you don't need to wait for a new calendar year to eat healthier, get outside more, or nourish your creativity. I do like to reflect on the year, and think about how things have gone, but I also want to ensure I don't dwell on the past too much that it takes away from the present.
I've always been a planner-type. Ever since I was a kid I remember having the next decades of my life all thought through as if that was some kind of blueprint the cosmic gods would ensure plays out for me. As I've gotten older, (slightly) less neurotic, and more open to ideas from the world outside of my bubble, I've been trying to do more of a core approach to this planning, if you will. What I mean by core is that, of course I will continue to plan my life generally, but the preciseness isn't quite there. Instead of making exacting predictions of how the next year will go and what I will do, I will focus on the core things that are valuable to me. Think of the core things as the foundation, and how the rest of the structure takes shape isn't as much of a concern to me, as long as the core values are in place.
Reading more from Stoicism and Taoism, you start to see a lot of ideas and concepts based around the idea of acceptance, which incidentally is a theme of therapy and overall life satisfaction. Acceptance doesn't mean being a doormat, and it doesn't mean not caring about anything. What is means is that I will do my best to accomplish the things I want to, but I will also accept what happens in reality. Uncertainty is a part of life and by trying to get rid of it you create more tension in your mind and body. Acceptance is the way of ducking under the waves of uncertainty instead of getting hit by them full-force. This is easier said than done, especially for someone like myself, but I do suspect this notion will be important to my mental practice for the long haul.
So I will not be making resolutions to lose weight, grow taller, or be happier, though I hope those things do happen. Instead, I will be focusing on the core values that I want to carry with me this year, and since we are always changing, making adjustments when necessary, as adaptability is one of our key characteristics as humans which allows us to make it through tough times. And who am I to stand in the way of evolution?
Interesting Things
René Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist whose most famous work is probably the The Son of Man (1946). Though not his most surreal, some of my favorites are Clear Ideas (1958) and The flash (1959). Enjoy these and have a safe and happy holiday. I'll write to you again next year.
The Son of Man (1946)
Clear Ideas (1958)
The flash (1959)