It's hard to believe that I've already been in Washington, DC for a year and four months. I can't decide if it's that time flies when you're having fun, that time flies as you get older, or if time flies when you find yourself living your life day to day and have lost some sight of the bigger picture. But that's the great thing about the New Year. In the end, it's just a construct, some way that we've tried to make order and sense of the various actions that we go through during a lifetime, and when it rolls around and shocks us as we realize how much time has passed, it gives us a chance to either speed up or slow down, as we feel is needed.
This year, I have more resolutions than I can list, but I can tell you that it covers a wide range of tasks, a number of different areas of my life, and I think I'm in for a year of exciting new developments and progress. Here is a sampling of the resolutions that I've made, some that you may find boring or bizarre:
1. Floss every day.
2. Apply for graduate school; PhD programs in social policy, economics, or sociology.
3. Begin saving for retirement.
4. Write more letters. Not emails. Letters.
5. Try not to burn bridges.
6. Host more dinner parties and game nights.
In a strange way that may not be decipherable, all of the many resolutions that I've set for this year come together to help me accomplish one major personal goal: to stop being afraid. Fear of decisions, fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of fatigue, fear of repercussions, fear of stress...it's all combined to cripple me in one way or another over the past year and a half that I've been out of college, and it's about time for me to get over it all. I guess what I've learned about adulthood is that life as an adult has an immeasurable number of challenges and hurdles that no one ever tells you about, but growing up isn't about anticipating them or being prepared, because there's no way you can. Growing up is about learning how to meet the challenges and hurdles while keeping sight of life and living at the same time.
To ring in the New Year, Christina and I hosted a New Year's Eve dinner and game night at my house in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC:
I got to try out my brand new cookbook and made risotto w/lemon, scallions, and parsley, and braised fennel, and Christina made roasted brussels sprouts, strawberry shortcake, and her incredibly popular fiery sweet mashed potatoes. Everyone else contributed, as well, with delicious corn muffins, cupcakes, broccoli w/sundried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, champagne, and sparkling cider to top off the meal!
Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, and productive 2012!
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