Perception.

I think there are times in our lives where things get over-complicated, where we’re overwhelmed with school, work, friends, choices we’ve made, and all that. This year has been interesting, to say the least, and there have been those days that are great, and others that weren’t. I made some good choices, though I feel that I might have made more mistakes than good choices this year. In that, I guess I can find solace in the idea that experience is the greatest teacher.

I cleared my apartment the week of finals. Should have probably spent a bit more time studying, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. Plus, it was a great excuse to not study. I found out that I was a hoarder! I had all these empty boxes for my things that was just taking up a huge amount of space, CDs that were already on my computer. Then there were the books that I would never wear and the clothes that were long forgotten in my closet. So, I gave the books away, sold my clothes at Trendy Exchange and Plato’s closet, giving the rest away to D.I. My roommate burned the CDs on his computer and then got rid of them, and I threw away all those boxes.

Having the clutter gone was amazing. There is something appealing to the life of simplicity, of having less. More is definitely not less, and less can definitely be the more. I hope that I focus more on the important things in life this year. Rather than focusing on the material, the physical, I’m learning more and more that life comes as you make it, and you take each step and each day and find joy in it. Too often, I’m worried about the world around me, letting the world act on me, and reacting to it. Doing so makes me lose my ability to choose, because I get so blinded by things that don’t really matter.

This year is the year. 2012. A Dragon year, which means I’ve survived two cycles in the Chinese Zodiac calendar. Are things going to work out perfectly? Probably not, no. But, I’ve learned that attitude is what matters most. You know, I wasn’t really supposed to be alive now. It was only with the miracle of medicine and surgery that I’m alive today. Babies with transposition of the great arteries don’t really have the highest rates of survival. So I guess complicated things like surgery are good sometimes! I deviated. The point is, this is a new year, and I can do exactly what I want to do with it.

At the end of the day, I’m just grateful for life and all that it has afforded me. I’m grateful for my parents and friends, for the people who make my life all the better for just being in it. The lessons that I learn from those around me are invaluable, though sometimes it takes awhile for it to sink in. I’m looking forward to the new year ahead, for the possibility of adventures and stories that are bound to come with it. I just hope, and I guess it is up to me, that I make the right choices that will enable me to make the most out of the time I have.

Back to Dillard’s quote: Here’s to making a year where finding a penny will literally make my day, where life will be great whether it is simple or complicated, where happiness will come from the little things that make all the difference.

Happy 2012!