In with the New

I'm a couple days late in saying so, but

Happy 2014!!!! (:

Enjoy this selfy avec sequins and year glasses (:

Personally, I was not a big fan of 2013, and I was very excited for a new start. However, I saw a good degree of cynicism floating around on the internet about the idea of resolutions, and it made me think about them and why we choose to make them. 

Many people seemed to be saying: why now? why choose this day to make a change? you could have made it any time you wanted before; did you really need this little stupid jumpstart of a calendar change to do something about an issue in your life?
But for many people, the answer is probably yes.

Personally, December was a whirlwind for me. It felt like I didn't even have time to catch my breath while the semester wrapped up, I had my birthday, and family started to come home for the holidays. I loved finishing something and having time for rest, but honestly, the time for rest only truly felt like it started a few days ago. For starters, on Christmas Eve, I came down with something (guessing the flu) and was left in bed with feverish chills and aches while the family watched movies and ate cookies. It was an ebb-and-flow kind of thing however, and it always seemed to let me have some fun: getting to come down for dinner and a movie later on Christmas Eve, fun with family and friends on Christmas, skiing on the 26th, and other family times and a couple outings with friends. Unfortunately, this thing is still clinging onto me in the last way it can: a cough and somewhat sore throat. But, it's definitely lessened and is on its way out, and I feel all the better for having a) an excuse to let myself recuperate and get some sleep and b)finally coming out of it. 

However, lately, it's been hard to convince myself that it was all right to sleep in for an extra hour or two or to just sit and do what I want for a couple hours. I try to be very responsible and so, if I let myself slack off (which I do too often), I tend to feel very guilty and become nervous and worried while doing something unproductive. However, this still becomes an outlet for me, and I sneak in a few YouTube videos or 15 minutes on Tumblr on many occasions, and often make myself late and unhappy, even if the time I spent doing something online made me happy at first.
I'll let that be a little lead-in and thus list my resolutions for the New Year in which many changes are already set to come for me! (I am listing this mostly for myself, that I have something to keep up with, and also if anyone is interested or can use my resolutions to set some for yourself!)

Resolutions for 2014

1. Exercise three times a week, every week.

2. Learn 1 new piece in entirety on the piano each 1-2 months (depending on the piece).

3. Create two things each month, blog about them each month.

4. Write in my journal at least weekly. 

5. Be more open with those I love and those I don't know (trust).

6. Read some of a book for pleasure every day. 

7. Limit recreational time on the internet daily to 1.5 hour total (45 minutes on school days).

 8. Begin my homework by 4 every day.

9. Go outside every day (even in weather, do something).

10. Save 1/3 of all earnings. 

These are all quite personal to me, but I plan to share my progress with these on here (I want to blog more positively and frequently this year) and if anyone would like to share your resolutions and progress, please feel free! I'd be glad to know and support you (: I hope this year is as good for everyone as it's been to me so far, and as I hope for it will be in the future! (:

And, to finish it off, I just want to share with you that, as the view from my window will affirm, there is sunlight after the storm. (: