closing thoughts

The last day of the first month of the year. Only 11 more months of bloggage. Only 11 more months of this whole entire existence in 2011. Pretty crazy.
This will be a reflection post, where I go back and look at some of my best posts and remind you of my philosophical wisdom. Or lack thereof.
Well, here we go.

everyone matters, 1 January
This was a perfect way to start off my blog. It seems a little cliche, saying that everyone is special, but sometimes lovey-dovey cheesy cliches are true. That one woman in Staples who did my whole calender for free made my day. And she was just an employee at Staples. She wasn't a Peace Corps volunteer, a religious missionary, or some other world savior. But she made my day, and that's all that matters. Be the person who makes other people's days.

indulgence, 2 January
I personally liked this one because I feel that in our modern world we don't allow for much indulgence, and I think that personal needs should be met as well as the needs of others. I think I should indulge in a few minutes - into my bed.

Beethoven's 5th, 3 January
No, I am not going to go through every blog. I guess I was just on a roll for the beginning ones. Anyways, I think it's important to jump start your life with something new. Even if you just walk to your classes a different way, or if you do your homework on the trampoline, you are still spicing up your routine.

bonne année et bonne santé! 4 January
This was a good one because my streak of great luck and wonderful joys was gone. I started to get sick, which is something I don't do, but I turned it around with that really sad article on CNN. It's sort of twisted to feel better about your own life when you read about the hardships of another, but it puts everything into perspective.

plant some passion in your mental garden, 7 January
What I loved about this one was my really fabulous metaphor. And also I liked the message I was going for. I mean, what's life with no passion? Drab. Yes, I answered my own rhetorical question. Now you'd call it a hypophora. Bam.

emotion math, 8 January
This was interesting because it was my climactic moment of the month. It was when I realized that even though this is a happy blog, I don't have to ignore my sadness, grief, angst, and any other range of emotions that we angsty teenagers have. And it's important for everyone not to ignore their emotions and let them out. Let me reiterate that sometimes it's important to hold them back, like if you wearing really awful heels and they kill. You don't have to scream and shout like a madman. Yet. And if you get your math test back and fail it, you should probably hold back the tears. I know, that's hard to do and you have to be pretty skillful to do it.

don't deny it, 10 January
Aahh, the first of my snow week blogs! This was by far the best day of powder as well, and I soaked up the fun. With a bunch of middle schoolers. And fourth graders. And they were all boys. But who cares? I don't. Live your life. Come out of your social self and be your own soul. Live the way you want to live. That's the message. Even if you have to do it in snow pant-overalls, a puffy jacket, and a hat that makes you look like a boy.

my vacation scrapbook called "life", 12 January
Life really is just a vacation on earth. A long vacation. And if you have ever gone away for a while you end up having to do none-fun things too, like laundry. Don't take even one moment for granted, and enjoy every moment of it. Because you don't know when your outgoing flight is. I know that sounds morbid, but it's true. This is my second cliche of the night: live life to the fullest. Typing the unoriginal conventional phrase makes me sick. Bleh.

it's all the same grass, 13 January
My second post about perspective. It was actually interesting, not just useless fluff I put in just to put it in. I actually realized that it was getting boring after 4 days snowed in, and that I wanted to get to school. So don't think that the life you don't have is better than your current one. It's all the same grass.

plan b, 14 January
Plan B is interesting as well because it is almost never used by us Type-A personalities. We have a master plan, actually multiple master plans, and we don't ever deviate from them. But it's important to realize that things often go wrong and plan B is the next best option.

dance like a freak, 17 January
I loved this title because it's pretty much my life. I dance like a freak all the time. I have these ridiculous shoulder dancing moves that just look really ridiculous. But that's OK because this whole post is about dancing like a freak. I refereed to an art journal I once did about things that make me happy, among them eating donuts and kayaking on the beach. So even though some things might seem trivial, enjoy them. Eat your donuts and dance like a freak.

gross national happiness, 21 January
This was my Oxfordian-style attempt at a "What is happiness?" lecture. I liked how it wasn't focused on my life. While my life is unique and overly exciting all the time, I thought I'd do something different. It's a lot more philosophical than intuitive but it's as interesting to read as it was to write.

pick yourself up by your own bootstraps, 22 January
If you want happiness, go find it. Because you can't just sit there and say "I'm sad!" and expect the whole world to rush to your side and hug you. I mean, maybe they will. But my guess is they won't. So pick yourself up by your bootstraps and find your little corner of happiness.

to conform or not to conform, that is the question, 24 January
I am a non-conformist. After my name on a business card, it should say "N.C." for nonconformist. Basically, don't let a number, a score, a grade, whatever you want to call it, mess with your head. Because your worth is immeasurable. What you do can only be judged by you. I know, I made you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

a tribute to Walden, 30 January
My final blog of January 2011, besides this one, was dedicated to my fish, Walden. He taught me so much. His philosophical ix between Taoism and Buddhism has shaped my thinking for today. Think about fish in a different way.
By the way, I still have Walden in a Ziploc bag. I will bury him in the backyard tomorrow. :(

These are not all of them, just a sampling. If you haven't read them, try to. Not just because I was to brag about my writing, but to enlighten yourself. To enrich yourself in your pursuit of happiness. Make a wish for February!