Corrine Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On

Shalom, homies. It's been a while.

So I have wanted to get back to blogging, and the beginning of the new year would've been the perfect time to start! Too bad life isn't perfect, and I was busy leading service trips in Honduras, so it was difficult to do anything else. But now that I literally don't do anything except look for jobs, and occasionally work at Madewell, I figured I should do something productive. Hopefully, my life will start getting more interesting.

I've decided that every blog entry is going to have a title song, which is going to represent my current state of mind. Today, I picked, "Put Your Records On" because it's the best pick-me-up song. Why do I need a pick-me-up? Because the weather is gloomtastic (new word, made it up), my hair is still short and I wish I could feel the exhilarating freedom of letting my hair down (listen to the song, and this will make sense), I miss feeling overwhelmed with tasks (Honduras, te extrano), and I want to live anywhere but here (here, being Suburbia). I've been applying and interviewing for jobs in New York, and I'm patiently waiting to hear back, but one of my flaws is that I'm very impatient. I'm just ready to move to a new city, make new friends and new memories, and have new experiences. I just want to start living my life again. Being in limbo ain't fun.

So I hate new year's resolutions, but I read an Allison & Partners (it's a PR company) blog entry the other day, and the blogger said she creates "new year's themes" instead of resolutions. So I'm stealing the idea because that's much more realistic than making resolutions that I'll never keep.

I would say that 2010 was my year of discovery.

My first trip to Honduras with Students Helping Honduras was in March, after I saw a bright blue flyer outside of my Graphics class, and that trip changed the trajectory of my life. I don't know if my life trajectory was really pointed anywhere; it was spinning in a circle, going nowhere. But going to Honduras, getting my hands dirty, and falling in love with those ninos really gave me a newly realized appreciation for the little things in life. I discovered my love for children, my need to help people, and my passion for traveling. Kelly ate Cheerios covered in hot sauce, Jess ate a napkin, and Grace wore an eye patch. It was one of the best weeks of my life.

I graduated in May, which was so bittersweet. I was ready, but completely not prepared. Less than a week after graduation, I went back to Honduras and stayed for two weeks, met some more amazing people, ate some more uevos and frijoles, and brushed up on my severely broken Spanish. In the fall, I was on the very first SHH Road Team which will forever be the best work experience I have ever received. Living out of a car, driving to universities and showing up to organizations fairs unannounced, convincing students to go to a country they'd never even heard about, living in hostels...  I discovered how far I'm capable of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

This winter, I went back to Honduras for three weeks. I had the best New Year's Eve of my life with some of my favorite people, drenched in sweat and dancing like a maniac. I met the cutest freaking children in the world - let's be honest; they're all the cutest - at Rio Chiquito and La Nunez, both schools my volunteers and I helped construct while we were in Honduras. My volunteer groups couldn't have been more amazing (JMU, Clemson, W&M, VT, GMU!), the weather couldn't have been better, even when it rained for two days straight, and the musically-fueled bus rides were unforgettable. After leading those trips, I discovered my independence.

2010 was my year of discovery: who I am, who I have become, and what I'm capable of achieving. I discovered a lot of my flaws and faults, but I also discovered my strengths and capabilities. 2010 was monumental.

I want 2011 to be my year of unabated living. Everything I do, I want to do unabatedly. According to Dictionary.com, unabated means, "without any reduction in intensity or strength," and I think that's the perfect way to live life. So I will strive to live every aspect of my life unabatedly, everyday.

What's the theme of your life this year?

c.k.