a little challenge for us all

I dropped my dad off at the airport today after spending a week with him when he came home for the holidays. As usual, he asked me to help him write some emails and check his grammar as well as other little favors that, really, I feel like I should be doing automatically without him having to ask.

At the beginning of every year, everyone is busy making resolutions, picturing themselves thinner, more diligent, or in love. All of these ambitions are great and definitely worth pursuing, but what about taking the time this new year to help improve someone else's life? Throughout my life, my parents have done so many things for me, and they never asked for anything back. Now that I am older and understand life a little better, I think it is time to stop thinking so much about myself and my own future and focus on making my parents' lives a little easier, a little less stressful, and a little more peaceful.

So here is my challenge to all of you (whoever reads this) and to myself: think of a couple of things that you can do to help your parents or someone else you care about and make their lives a little better. Maybe starting with our loved ones, we can truly learn what it means to be altruistic and to love life and expand this optimism and spirit to others around us.

Happy 2011!

First post of the year! ^.^ I hope everyone had a great winter holidays and an awesome start to the new year. They still aren't over yet! One more week for us college students in Georgia. Let's make the most of it.

Following the fashion/zen/etc etc blogs I check daily, here are my 2011 Resolutions:

*Be more outfit savvy. No more t-shirts and jeans (hey, at least I got over the hoodie stage of my life :P) and wearing the same jacket/layers combo over and over again. From now on, I will try to look semi put together for class. I'll just call it a challenge.

*Make time for the small (yet important) things. Aka don't get so caught up in school work and running around from meeting to meeting to forget to call mom and dad once in a while. Also, I will make room for personal reading (gotta work on that stack of books I bought over break, heh), going to the gym, and chilling out or going to parties. Sounds like too many goals in one.

*Tune in to the world. Sounds like wishful thinking right? All I mean for this one is to read the NY Times every day. Even if for just 5 minutes.

*Not sweat the small stuff. Taken from a blog I read quite often, this one is my number one. So basically, if I fail all of these resolutions, return to the procrastinating student that I am, and forget to do my laundry, life will be okay. In the end, we're all going to make it just fine. =)

So here's to a new year and a new attitude. Happy New Year!