Skip to main content

Birthday Reflections and Update

I just had my 20th birthday on November 9. I joked that I'd have to start acting serious like a "real adult" now. Really, though, I don't believe one ever truly feels like an adult. I have this theory that everyone's just pretending (and some are better at it than others). I don't feel any older, which is no surprise, but things have changed so much since my last birthday. This year, I hope to make some changes of my own. I go through the same routine, and I don't want to sink into the "everydayness" of life. To combat this, I'd love to start volunteering. There's a few options. I have been wanting to start teaching adult literacy, reading for children, and visiting nursing homes. I really want to do something meaningful.

In other news, I have a poem that's going to be published soon in my school's undergraduate literary journal. I'll be sure to post more about that when the issue comes out. I've also written another story that I just submitted to a local Atlanta literary magazine. I'm really hoping that it gets published. They're a lot more selective than my school's journal, so keep your fingers crossed.

Also, I have officially started working as a writing tutor for my school's writing center. I've had about six appointments already. It's something I really enjoy doing and hope to continue in the future.

Who knows what will happen in the future, but I hope to make something meaningful out of this next year.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Mantan CalaverasNovember 16, 2013 at 8:19 PM

    That's cool, you're cool.

    Volunteering is probably a good idea. There is definitely a temporal acceleration going on, that you only begin to really notice in your mid-20's or so. Time passes faster and Faster. Soon it will be passing too fast.

    I suspect that this has to do with the exponential improvement of cognitive functions in adults. As your brain gets faster and more efficient at processing sensory data and filing it away, and you develop more and more ingrained models of how to do things, you don't have to pay as much attention to your surroundings nor expend as much time figuring stuff out as you did when you were younger, and this causes time to feel like it's passing faster and faster. It also causes you to live, increasingly, up in your head thinking about things instead of observing them.

    A couple activities seem to slow this process of temporal acceleration: Doing new things that you aren't familiar with; interacting with people, and understanding THEIR cognitive processes, which are different from your own; and traveling to new places and doing new things that you aren't used to doing.

    So, this is my advice to you as a young person (I am 30 this year), is to ignore what people may be telling you about your future, the need for education and a career. If you want to be happy in your future, ignore that stuff and do things that you enjoy doing, do them very well, and always negotiate yourself into a position where you get to do new things in new places, and most important always put an emphasis on other people, learning about them, and developing your empathetic abilities. The last is probably the most important one.

    Anyhow, that's my slightly off-topic advice on the subject?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutNovember 17, 2013 at 7:01 AM

      What you say makes a lot of sense. Time does pass a lot faster, and I have heard before that it's due to our cognitive processes. You are very insightful! Thank you.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Obituary Challenge

I've been working in The Writing Studio at Georgia State today, when a worried student came in for some assistance. She was assigned to write an obituary for her Journalism class. This obituary was to be written about the professor of her course. I'd never heard of anyone assigning something like this (probably because it's morbid), but it's very practical to learn for Journalism. From there, I had an idea. I thought what a good tag/challenge it would be for fellow bloggers to write an obituary about themselves. (not to mention a bit of morbid fun) So, Here's the rules: Link back to whoever tagged you. Put these rules in your tag.  Write an obituary about yourself (it can be as funny or as serious as you like). Write about a paragraph or two (or more if necessary) in length. You may tag up to 10 people, and be sure to link to them. Have fun, because creative writing is one of the greatest joys in life!   My Obituary:  Katie, age 18, perished on Septembe...
12 comments
Read more

DIY Nose Chain

For those of you who've been trying to hunt down a nose chain, you probably know that they're difficult to find. Even online , there isn't a big selection. The ones I've found at a local Indian mall were pretty, but they weren't exactly what I was looking for. I finally decided it would be easier to make my own.  What you need: Any kind of necklace chain (preferably lightweight) Nose ring (you can also make a lip chain if you have a lip ring.) Earring Hook Metal loops (You might be able to find a couple on your necklace) Jewelry pliers (I used regular pliers, but it's a lot more difficult.) How To Make It: Measure out the length you want your nose chain. Using the  pliers, separate the chain to your desired length. Take the piece you need, and attach both ends to  the bigger metal loops. Attach one end to your earring hook and the other end to your nose ring. Make sure the ends are tightened enough where the ...
9 comments
Read more

Why I Still Use CD's

Second Wave Compilation, Talking Heads, and SOM all purchased at a used book store Are CD's obsolete? With all of this digital downloading, most people don't even bother with them. Even vinyls (which are technically obsolete) have a vintage charm which CD's currently lack. I have a friend who jokes, "It's 2013. Who listens to CD's anymore?" while knowing full well that I still buy them. It might seem that I have luddite tendencies--I don't use an e reader either. However, I can make some very good arguments for purchasing CD's. Buying your music on compact disks nowadays is really cheap, especially if you know where to look. I tend to shop for them at Goodwill, thrift stores, and used book stores. I found Ministry's Psalm 69 (in very good condition) at my local Goodwill for only $1. Keep in mind, many people pay that much for a digital copy of one song. When I shop for them at my local used book store, the CD's are guaranteed to be i...
14 comments
Read more