Cheers to a new year. Fun new speakeasy-like bar in Belltown, the Bathub Gin & Co. Also had a bunch of fun at Shorty’s playing arcade games and skee ball. Food at Bangrak Market and Imperial Lounge, before heading to a rooftop to view the fireworks.
At the stroke of midnight, we witnessed an impressive display of fireworks off the Space Needle, a first since I’ve arrived in Seattle (too windy in 2020, coronavirus in 2021). This was a treat. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I felt at peace with the new year. Maybe it doesn’t feel that real. After all, the Gregorian calendar is just an artifical construct, one of many frameworks to keep track of time. Covid has also disrupted so much, time included.
Looking back, it feels like another blur of a year. I did revel in going back to school and being a student again. I spent more time on the ice, skating for my own enjoyment and coaching others. I learned new skills in French (took a language class virtually) and on the piano (new songs), and redesigned my new home. I finally took my first vacation and time off from work and unplugged and relaxed for once. I still feel a bit aimless and lost, not sure where I’m headed next. I’ve had a lot of time to think, stuck in my own head, but it hasn’t always been healthy. I learn and live by doing, connecting with people, and going out to see the world, all of which has been harder.
Putting my new customized Shinola planner to use.
Looking ahead, instead of a singular goal or resolution, I’m embarking on a 365-day challenge. Each day I’ll train my body and mind, learn something new, create something new, and connect with someone, a friend, family member, or stranger — “TLCC”. I do have many auxiliary goals like reading a book a month, honing my photography and editing skills, and learning new languages, but I’m hoping daily challenges will help me improve in four different categories in a more sustainable way.
Today, for example:
- Train: Used my building’s gym for the first time and did a full body workout
- Learn: Finished some Duolingo exercises (hit a 365-day streak the other day), practiced some piano, watched some German TV on Netflix (quasi-learning), and did some reading
- Create: Edited and uploaded some content to my @studioshumseattle Instagram page (taking longer than expected but hopefully will go faster as I get more comfortable uploading editing)
- Connect: Messaged some friends who I haven’t connected in a while
I’m aiming to publish my progress towards those daily goals, even if it’s just a photo or a single word that encapsulates the feeling of the day. It’ll be a messy and imperfect journal, but I’m hoping this will be a therapeutic and cathartic exercise, helping me syntesize and triagnulate so many different streams of information and make sense of where I have been, where I am now, and where I’m going.
With so much uncertainty going on in the world around us, who knows where the year will take us. But I’m hopeful and optimistic that we’ll be able to adapt and learn and grow. I hope my daily challenge will keep me focused and on the right track, wherever we end up. So, here’s to a new year, a fresh start.
2022, here we come!