Party Like It's 2012!

            So, apparently this is the last year before the end of the world or whatever. I don’t believe this at all, and I’m very much looking forward to watching 2012 on January 1, 2013. However, I do think it’s time for some serious New Year’s Resolutions, what with the world ending pretty soon and whatnot. So what’ll it be this year? What mundane life changes will I subject myself to for a while and then wordlessly abandon about halfway through January? I don’t really understand the purpose of a New Year’s Resolution because essentially you’re trying to make drastic life changes in the time it takes for the clock to change from 11:59 pm (New Year’s Eve) to 12:00 am (New Year’s Day). It just doesn’t work. Self-improvement is a work in progress, an accomplishment reached by making every day better than the last. I mean, just think about it. If your New Year’s Resolution was to drink less alcohol…I’m pretty sure well over half of the American population failed that one just last night…

           

            The number one most popular New Year’s Resolution is to exercise and eat healthy foods, which I think everyone could use a little more of. I’m pretty sure my life is an endless battle between my love for food and my desire to not be fat, and oddly I’m okay with that. I just love food way too much. I eat when I’m happy. I eat when I’m sad. I eat when I’m stressed. I eat when I’m bored. I eat when I can’t sleep (which is most nights). Let’s face it, working out “when I feel like it” is not a great strategy. Whenever I’m laying on my couch thinking “Maybe I should work out today,” I just eat something until the feeling passes. And then I feel guilty, which makes me eat more. It’s a vicious cycle. If I didn’t have an Asian metabolism, I would be really fat. When watching The Biggest Loser is a stressful activity, you know you have problems. I’m the type of person who probably should not be watching reality television. I get way too into it. The Biggest Loser is just too much for me to handle. Whoever named that show was ironically cruel. I mean, to commend obese people for adopting a healthy lifestyle while simultaneously mocking them? Brilliant. But cruel. Anyway, this show stresses me out for two reasons. 1) I feel like I should work out more because I’m afraid that Jillian Michaels is going to show up at my door and brutally murder me if I let myself get fat. And 2) People on that show typically lose like 200 pounds…This concept freaks me out because I feel like if I ever lost 200 pounds…I would cease to exist. I could work myself right out of existence. So maybe, I SHOULDN’T work out…New Year’s Resolution? Watch less reality television.  

            In all seriousness though, I am determined to make this year better than last year. So my official New Year’s Resolution for 2012 is this: Live as if the world was ending. Walk a little taller. Work a little harder. Be a little kinder. Let the people I love know I love them. Happy New Year, everyone! Now, go forth and BE AWESOME. 

Attitude of Gratitude

            So…Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I am so very thankful to all the people who read my blog (all two of you) and give me the attention I so desperately crave. I’d like to be serious for a moment (just a moment) and sincerely express how incredibly thankful I am for everyone and everything I have been blessed with. I’m thankful for my family, my friends, and everyone who has touched my life. I’m thankful for my opportunities, and I’m thankful for my trials and my difficulties. They have made me strong and shaped who I am today, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This year has been especially difficult for me, and sometimes it’s easy to forget all the good things I have. Even though Thanksgiving is the day set aside for us to count our blessings, I believe that it is important to make gratitude an important part of our lives every day of the year. Imagine how much happier people would be if they focused on what makes their lives great instead of incessantly obsessing over what’s missing. President Thomas S. Monson once said: “My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.” I love T-Money. He always knows what to say.

            Serious moment over. I am currently sprawled out on my couch dying from overexposure to yummy food. My eyes tell me “Yes, more food. MORE FOOD!” Meanwhile, my stomach is yelling “No, NOOO! Stop, you pig! I can’t take it anymore!” Yup…Thanksgiving is a good day. No worries. I’ll work it off tomorrow while I’m Black Friday shopping. Confession: I love Black Friday, even though I maintain that it is an extremely unflattering reflection of our society. We’ve all seen the Black Friday commercials every store has put out two weeks in advance. There’s that crazed Target lady, who is “training” for her ultimate day of shopping madness. Then there’s that incredibly annoying, retarded lady from Kohl’s belting out her own rendition of Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” Gosh, I hate that one. I just think it’s incredibly shallow that only one day after Thanksgiving, when we express our sincere gratitude for the things we have, we have Black Friday, where we set out in search of the things we want. It seems to void the purpose of Thanksgiving, if you ask me. It’s kind of ridiculous how that works…But hey. I like shopping. So, I’ll stop complaining.

            Here’s an interesting thought. The turkey ALMOST became our national symbol, instead of the bald eagle. Benjamin Franklin was a resolute supporter of the turkey, describing the bald eagle as lousy bird of bad moral character. He goes on describe how the eagle is too lazy to hunt for his own fish, chasing down the hawk and taking the fish from him. I think I agree with Franklin on this one. The turkey is an original native of America, fiercely defending his territory whenever necessary. Those things are kind of scary when they’re mad at you. Unfortunately, the eagle kind of fits, as well. I mean, it’s a cutthroat world out there. We’ve got dogs eating dogs, fish munching fish, and eagles stealing fish from hawks. But just imagine…if the turkey was our national symbol. We would not be allowed to eat turkey on Thanksgiving…Would we eat eagle instead? The things I think about when I’m quickly spiraling into a food-induced coma. Anyway…Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Have fun gorging yourselves. I love you all!