2010

Happy New Year, friends!

Here's to 2010.

the movement

In the movement
There is constant flurry
To pause is unthinkable
They say - be still and be waste

In the movement
Rush to get ahead of it all
Work for the future
Declare the present to be dead

Eyes will not focus
Thoughts will not rest
Allow nothing to pass
Without continual stirring

But pause and dare to defy
Destroy the spell of the movement
For if true life is to emerge
The movement cannot last

Eyes will now focus
Thoughts will now rest
Allow nothing to pass
Without enduring calm

Yes, enduring calm
For the movement cannot last

reject apathy

"Even a student earning $105 a week is wealthier than 85 percent of the world."

As I was reading an article on rejectapathy.org, I came across this stat. It made me uncomfortable.

This isn't just about Americans being wealthy. I know that. We all do. It's about me. I'm a college student who has the means to make 100 bucks a week. And, based on that alone, I am richer than 85 percent of the world.

There's some cliche saying that with wealth comes a lot of responsibility, and it's true. With this knowledge, I realize I have to do something. I cannot sit with any sense of entitlement and spend all my money on me. Nor can I just turn a blind eye and pretend I don't know any better as I make frivolous purchases.

I have to be more intentional about every investment of money... and of time and energy because, I'm richer than at least 85 percent of the world. I have the power to make a difference... a responsibility to act. In my mind, at least 85 percent of the world is counting on me to make a difference and to, well, reject apathy.

shift

I felt so inexplicably tired in the late afternoon today. The day of work drained me way more than usual. As I got into my car, I found myself longing to drive home and lounge on the sofa or take a nap (something I never do). Unfortunately, I needed to head to campus for a 3.5 hour night class. Most of the car ride down to campus, my mind was consumed with thoughts of how to treat myself in order to wake up.

And then, I stopped to consider - if I feel this drained after 6 hours of work in the office, how drained must a slave laborer, forced to work 12-16 hours each day, must feel at all times.

No, this train of thought didn't grant me any new sense of energy. Far from it. It did, however, help me shift my thoughts from myself to other people. This life isn't all about me and my own sense of comfort. I forget that fact way too frequently in a society that constantly screams, "Me! Me! Me!" My current state and circumstances are way beyond what most will ever know, and I need to remain grounded in the realities of other beyond just myself. Shifting focus to others is essential, and I hope to be reminded to do so time and time again.

fall

Fall is here.

I do not attribute this to the weather, for the weather certainly can't make up its mind. Perhaps the fallen red leaves that crunched under my feet on my walk today gave some semblance of fall, but I attribute this declaration to the distinctly autumn meals I had consumed recently. I love the change in ingredients and meals that comes with the turn of the seasons. At Granville, I have been enjoying their butternut squash soup. While at home, I got a taste of my mom's signature chili. Apples of all sorts have infused my meals. And tonight, I roasted some acorn squash. Topped with a bit of butter and cinnamon it was delicious and served as a perfect mark of fall.

miscellany

random things for you to check out:

1. emma thompson's art installation on sex trafficking
too bad it's in NY not LA...

2. this random song that popped up on Pandora
i love pandora