I’m not sure how closely you keep up with my life, but this past summer a lot of things have changed for me. I got to experience sincere disappointment within my family and I learned the hard way how to deal with heartbreak and I went through loss with a lot of my friends when a friend from high school committed suicide.
This summer was a struggle, but it had a lot of positive outcomes. I learned how to do things that make me happy and gained a lot of motivation to be a person who’s honest with herself about what she wants in life. With that, I quit my job where I worked for people that didn’t make me happy or pay well, and got a minimum wage job working at a cookie/candy/ice cream store where I read a lot of Kurt Vonnegut books and made paper stars and became very peaceful. It was also a great place to nurse a broken heart (although, cookie dough at home probably does the same thing).
I travelled a lot with my family and also on my own or with friends; which is really exciting because I’ve never felt old enough to do that before. I paid for all of the gas and the food and the experiences I had myself and it was a great growing experience. I also went with my mother and sister to Portland, Oregon; which is a place that I fell in love with the first time I went and reconfirmed that love going back this summer.
In Portland, I made the decision to change my major (once again) because I know in my heart that after studying subjects that I don’t find very appealing (Chemistry.) and pushing myself through medical school, I don’t want to wake up every day as a psychiatrist so that I can medicate people who are suffering and pretend like I’m helping them. I am a person who feels very compelled to help people all the time, and I learned that I’m very capable of doing that and enjoy it constantly last semester through my work at the domestic violence shelter. So, now I’m a Sociology/Criminology/Psychology triple major (I was also able to participate in the Missouri State University Pride Marching Band this semester, which is easily the second greatest choice I have ever made). I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life, though I’m sure I’ll end up doing something along the lines of Social Work or write a book about my experiences doing something absolutely incredible and useful. Or both. The Peace Corps is also an option I would seriously like to look into.
Anyway, with all of this changing in my life, and my new found ability to be honest with myself and what I really want in life I plan on doing a lot this year at college. I have many, many incredible friends that are joining me with some of these things and helping me out along the way. So far my plans are to;
1. Eat healthy. Several of my friends and I are going to start a rice and fish diet and do our best to eat organic foods. Now, this isn’t going to be consistent for a little while because I went grocery shopping a week ago and have about 12 boxes of mac and cheese and some very delicious Chef Boyardee to chow through. But I have been eating fish three times a week (thank you, Dustin Everett Goodwin) and Kaitlin and I had our first bowl of brown rice and corn for dinner this evening, which I plan on doing again tomorrow. The diet will probably be consistent in two to three weeks.
2. I’m going to learn how to beast at hula-hooping. Kaitlin and I went to Jordan Valley Park and hung out reading for Social Deviance and people watching when this group, who comes to JVP every Tuesday from 6 – 8, of really peaceful people came and practiced fire-hooping. There were other tricks going on and a few guys playing the guitar (and a didgeridoo; which was cool.) and we made friends with one of the girls, Shayla, who’s going to make me a hoop for next week. Hooping is really good for your stomach muscles and it’s very relaxing, I hooped a little my senior year of high school, but not much. I recommend it to a lot of you.
3. I’m going to take a kick-boxing class.
4. I’m going to tone my body. This is the hardest part of this whole life-style change, because I’m not very good at motivating myself until about 9 o’clock at night. But, if I have to go running and do ab-crunches until I vomit in the dark, so be it. It’s something that I always wish I could do, and I’m tired of just wishing for it. I have several people to help push me, but any support is greatly appreciated. Also, does anyone know how to tone your arms? I have a lot of unnecessary arm fat.
5. I’m going to read a lot this semester. I’ve read three Kurt Vonnegut books (seriously guys, this man was a brilliant thinker and just a very kind human being. His books are great, easy to read, and are really uplifting.) And a little Steig Larsson over the summer, and I plan on continuing. Next on my list is ‘Breakfast of Champions’ by Kurt V, ‘Hamlet’s Blackberry’ by… Someone. I don’t know who it is; the president of MSU quoted it a lot in his speech to the freshmen this year. And a book by Kurt’s son, Mark Vonnegut, who’s a psychiatrist and writes a lot about his career and working with people. He wrote the introduction to ‘Armageddon in Retrospect’ and has a great writer’s voice. I’m excited.
6. I’m going to get my nose pierced, damnit. I’ve been dying to do it for years, and now that I don’t have to get into medical school or a healthcare profession, I’m getting it done by Christmas.
7. I’m going to learn to play the acoustic guitar well. I’m good at sight-reading tabs online, but I’m not very fluent at it, and it just sounds really pretty. All the time.
8. I’m going to start a blog and keep up with it.
The blog is called ‘The Ever-Changing Life of a Girl in the World’. I created it while writing this post and I’m going to blog about my adventures through this life-style change and about things I learn about as a sociology major. I have had a lot of interesting ideas about people that have been spurred by the classes I’m in, and I think it would be good for me to write them down and get feedback from those of you who keep up with it, or to share your own experiences. I like learning.
Well, that’s all for now. I have to go get my laundry and read for my Social Deviance class in the morning.
Good night!
