Something New

I've never done this before: joining a group of bloggers who dedicate one day to each topic. I'm the independent sort: I'll blog when, if, and how I want. If I want it to be a one-line exclamation of my day, so be it. If I choose that today deserves a novel, I'll do it, dang it.


As December rolls around, we all naturally start to look back: what have I accomplished? Have I become a better person in the last 24 months? Have I made decisions I'm proud of? Am I close to the kind of person I want to be? 


Reverb 10 reflects on the last year and manifest what’s next. I'm totally copying this from the website: "Use the end of your year as an opportunity to reflect on what's happened, and to send out reverberations for the year ahead." Sounds hot, huh? Well, here goes. 


Today. Day 1. December 1.
One Word. 

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. 

Prooooofound. Year in one word. I think I'm going to cry from stress; I hate having to choose ONE thing. Pick your favorite this. What is your WORST fear. Definitive questions scare me, because I feel like once I make a decision, I can't go back on it. It becomes word. Final. No changing your initial choice. No room for progression. Terrifies me. And my life probably portrays this: I have difficulty picking and sticking with ANY choice, be it between Meatball Marinara or Italian BMT sandwich at Subway, taking French at 10 or 11, or if I should run the light or not. Impulse purchases: the symbol of my life. 

Reflecting on the year, the main points which stood out were: Malynne getting married, Chris & I dating, Africa--and my new, amazing roommates. I realized that the only reason these were significant were because of emotional connections I had to people. I take for granted how personally invested I am in others.

Malynne getting married was tough at first; I felt that I'd lost a best friend. To replace that friendship "lost," I turned to an already-good friend, Chris. Soon we started dating. I learned so much from that: trust, laughter, priorities... not soon enough I flew off to Africa for the greatest adventure and life-changing experience of my life. I saw poverty. Real poverty. And thinking back on it can make me cry. 

The word I settled on is....

Understand.
To really understand life's events, you have to look into the underneath reasons. Other people's choices. Your own choices. Different perspectives. To really understand, you  have to comprehend the full spectrum of everyone involved: everyone has a story, a motivation, a dedication. Realize you are a part of something bigger, whether it be in Africa or in Provo, Utah. 


Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Maturity. 

Comments

Kami said…
Loved this post. Thanks for sharing! :) Love the word you chose and it's true, human relationships and connections are truly profound!
Rhet said…
You are awesome. I'm going to come visit you soon. That is all. I love your hear-felt posts!
Chloe said…
I love your blog. For serious. K, I have something to profound say...these moments are rare...so listen up! :)
Here's the thing. What do you mean by maturity? Maturity in the sense that you want to be mature in what decisions you make regarding school, work, life? I feel that's what you mean...because, if you want to be mature in the sense of what you do as in your social activities...GET OUT OF MY LIFE. Because, the things that you do, the spontaneous, "immature" things you do are what draw people to you. And people envy that about some people; their ability to have fun and let go and not care what people think. I think that is a part of maturity, taking what people think as a grain of salt. But coming from someone that goes to sleep at 5 am and laughs about Freddy Krougar's Christmas, take my caffine-filled rants as you will my friend. :) My guess is that it depends on your definition on maturity as well.