It’s
hard to believe I’m writing yet another end-of-year blog; only one more after
this, and then I’m out in the real world. As usual, I don’t feel like anything
is ending, although outlining this meant pulling out my resolution sheets to
once again analyze my progress this semester, which left me a little
reflective. For now, it’s enough.
My life
at the moment consists of a lot of typing and a slightly alarming amount of tea
– I’ve almost emptied my reserves. I’ve drafted both my final essays; I just
need to revise them, take one more final, and I’m done with the year. I’ve
attended a few events as well. On Thursday I attended a talk by Joe Letteri,
the director of Weta Digital, which worked on everything from Lord of the Rings
to Avatar to Batman v Superman. It was an interesting talk, and I enjoyed just
sitting back and listening to how the digital effects were created, with
illustrative clips from movies I like.
On
Friday I took a Sabbath and tried not to think about all the work I had left to
do. I couldn’t seem to take an interest in any of my independent projects,
though, and so I ended up spending most of the morning planning out a strategy
for my ROTC billet next semester – I’m in charge of discipline and morale,
which is going to be fun. I was brainstorming, and then systematizing, and
somehow I ended up with a five-page document on my free day. And then I spent
most of the afternoon watching animated Justice League movies. Apparently I
like DC much better in animated form, although if you’d told me two weeks ago I
would be watching animated superhero movies, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.
Anyway, on Saturday I attended a training event for leadership in Christian
Impact next semester; we heard a few talks on leading small groups and helping
others develop, and then we brainstormed for next semester. It was a planning
weekend.
Before
I give my reflections for the semester/year, I want to briefly overview my
plans for the summer. I’ll be home most of the time, unless we plan a family
trip or two. I’ll be taking a business overview course developed by Harvard;
we’ll see how it goes, but I might want to entrepreneur someday, so it’s
something to look into. I’ve also been accepted into the master’s program at
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; I’ll take my first course this
summer, and I should finish by the time I’m out of the Navy. This isn’t so much
for my future as for me; I know what I think about things, but it’s nice to put
names to concepts and systematize my theology; I’m much more developed on the
philosophy side of things. Oh, and one more thing – the courses are in Spanish,
to add some extra spice. We’ll see how it goes. And of course, at some point in
all of this I’ll be on cruise with the Navy, but I still don’t know when or
where that is.
My
resolutions for the semester divided my personal development goals into three
areas – internal, external, and interpersonal. The goals themselves are too
many to enumerate here, but I think the categories are helpful. Internally,
then, I’ve managed to be much more organized. Not only have I developed a
fairly regular schedule, but I knew what I wanted to get out of the semester,
besides classes, and I worked toward it. Those goals, and the vision they
embody, gave me the energy to get done the things I needed to do. I have goals
for my personal development and leadership during the semester, but even more
than that, I have a much clearer idea of what I want to do in the future – and
although it still doesn’t make much sense outside my head, it’s a source of
unlimited energy.
Externally,
I still splurge more than I think is probably healthy, but I’ve gotten much
better. I’ve stuck with my early to bed, early to rise schedule, and it’s
served me well, though ROTC’s early-morning appointments made it less effective
than it could have been. I’ve exercised more regularly than I have since high
school, and my eating habits have improved. Most noticeably, nicer dress,
makeup, jewelry, and etc. have become ingrained habits, which I’m happy about.
I’ve also had more practice organizing logistics due to my leadership positions
and a few trips into town of my own.
Interpersonal
relations are my Achilles’ heel; they take a lot of energy, and I still stick
my foot in my mouth on a nearly-daily basis. This area always requires the most
work, but it has to be balanced with developing the areas I actually like
developing. Still, because of the opportunities I’ve had to lead and the
concentrated focus on trying to be more encouraging to those around me, I think
I probably notice the most progression in this area. Overall, between my
leadership positions and my efforts to improve, progress is being made. There’s
still a lot to be done, of course, but I can tell I’m more put-together and
mature than I was at the beginning of the semester.
Junior
year has probably been the best year of college so far, and definitely so if we
discount the outliers of study abroad. After the trudging work of the first
three semesters and the revelatory release of study abroad, I was able to
reevaluate and finally fit the pieces together. I’ve found my rhythm now, my
way of organizing my life on my own; last semester I found my routine and
vision, and this semester I began the drive to implement them. I’ve been very
happy with the results. Maybe I’m a little late to the game, or maybe I’m a few
years early; I don’t know. But I know where I’m going now, with a certainty
that should outlast even the transition from college to career. We’ll see what
the future holds.
Pictures: the weather alternates between beautiful sunlight and cold rain; at the moment, it's chosen the latter.
