It’s that time of year again. Well, it’s more than a week after Thanksgiving, but I like to think that I’m just fashionably late. Anyway, the year just seemed to fly by and I am, yet again, provoked to reflect. As always, the past twelve months have been harder than the previous dozen, but it’s safe to say that all the hardship has been worth it as a result. I know... it’s typical. But this year, and most especially the past semester, has been one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, in recent memory, and I am truly thankful to have gotten through it in one piece. As difficult as it has been, it has also been astonishingly rewarding, because it has helped me see things in a different light and to re-prioritize the things that I hold dear. It has brought me experiences and opportunities that have changed and enriched me in ways I have yet to discover.
Yeah, I can go on about all this generic bullcrap, but it really would not be anything remotely profound or of any substance whatsoever. Instead, in true Paul fashion, I will write a small list of things that I am thankful for. Trust me, this is not an exhaustive list, but the few things on here seem to encompass so many of the other things that I will be thankful for this holiday season.
1) Lemons
1) Lemons
-Now, let me explain. I don’t mean literal lemons, though those are nice, too. However, I’m leaning towards the meaning implied in the age-old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We know that lemons will be pelted at us constantly, but only making lemonade each time that happens will inevitably get boring after a while. Instead, you gotta think of some new recipes while you gather the bushels of the bright yellow citrus that the world just seems to have in abundance. I am thankful for the obstacles we have to face because it gives us new ways of dealing with those situations. I’m thankful for fate because we all know that shit happens, but how we deal with that is how we grow.
2) Hair Dye
-This year has brought a lot of hair color changes for me. It seemed like every month, the shade got lighter, from black to bleach blonde (and a brief stint of purple) and back again. I guess the reason why I’m thankful for hair dye is the fact that it symbolizes the ability to constantly, systematically change while staying, at the core, the same. Re-invention may not be the right term. Maybe transformation would be better. Yeah, it may look different, but it’s still the same hair under a different guise. It also represents how fortunate I’ve been to have the freedom to do the things that make me happy and to change my mind about those things. This constant transformation is something that hold dear: I am indecisive, and I must embrace that. So don’t be surprised if my hair’s a different color in a few days.
3) Accessories
-If you’ve seen my wrist (especially during the summer) and/or my left ear, you would see that I’ve had a fun time accessorizing this year. I’ve accumulated a bucket full of bracelets and a slew of earrings (many being gaudy feathers). I’ve also tried a hand at bow ties and am amassing a growing shoe collection (though Rohini keeps taking them). These things represent variety. You need some spice in your life to keep things exciting. I’m happy that I can take a plain outfit, throw some bracelets on, clip a flower brooch on it, and rock a beanie, and apparently become the coolest looking guy in the world. Nonetheless, these accessories show the importance of collaboration. You can’t just throw shit on yourself willy-nilly and expect it to look good. Each of the elements of the outfit should complement the others, and that’s how one must see his or her role in their families, groups, and communities. Take my bracelets for example. I have a few dinky, weird ones that look like I ransacked the jewelry box of a tween who shops at Claire’s profusely. However, when I match those with some other bracelets, it no longer looks like I’m going to a Miley Cyrus concert; rather, I look like a pretty stylish young man. You, as a single component, may feel useless or irrelevant alone, but when in the right company, you change your self-perception. That, in turn, affects everyone else around you, and creates a cohesive unit of badassery.
4) Bad Grades
-Now everyone thinks that getting a 4.0 GPA is necessary for everything in life, but it’s really not. Now I’m okay with my not-so-stellar grades, and it’s cause I realize that things matter so much more than letters and numbers on a transcript. I’m sure I’ve said that a million times to myself, yet I still get disappointed when I see a B on my paper. Instead, I am trying to think of how much I’m actually getting out of these experiences, and the other experiences in which I’m not receiving a grade. If my GPA was a true reflection of my effort, I would be on academic probation by now. However, the things that matter most to me have nothing to do with whether or not I followed the prompt for the 10-page paper or answered all the questions correctly on the test. My life and my passions cannot, and should not, be dwindled down to arbitrary numbers. It took me a few fumbles on my transcript to realize that these fumbles are necessary.
5) Adele
-Since the 21 album came out, I’ve been listening to it non-stop. The songstress has made me an emotional wreck, and y’know what? I’m okay with that. We’re all emotional wrecks, and we are all subject to a battery of feelings. Most importantly, we must realize that these emotions are much more universal than we think. C’mon, how many people do you think identified with “Someone Like You”? Basically everybody who’s ever liked anybody ever, and that’s just about every fucking soul on this planet. I’ve realized that it is these emotional experiences which make us human and which links us to others. Our emotions make our relationships meaningful, so we should not shy away from expressing them. I am grateful to have a great support system of people who are also unafraid to lay it all on the line. I am also thankful for those who don’t open up as easily, because even though they may not say it, they just as human as you are, and we must be cognizant of this. Everyone’s fighting their own tough battles, and together, we can win the war.
In this final month of 2011, I will continue to look back at what has taken me to this point. Of course, as much as I may have regretted certain decisions or was disappointed that things didn’t happen, I would not change a single thing. That sounds like such a beauty queen answer, but everything that happens to us gives us a clearer understanding of what our purpose is in our world. This is exactly what this post-Thanksgiving post is about. If I could give a small bit of advice, it would be to keep being thankful. You’ll have more hope in the world if you do.
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