Revisiting Goals… Again.

The sun begins to linger longer high in the sky as time moves forward. Branches lengthen with green new growth. The sky is so blue, the air is so warm. Springtime has crept up on us! And what a wonderful time it is. I’m finding I greatly neglected the importance of the sun when I lived in Central Oregon. Even during winter months, the sun was a near-constant presence in the sky, peeking out regularly to check on the people trudging through the snow. In Washington, I’ve witnessed a week go by without any news from our closest star. This past week, the first few days of spring, however, have been much different. The sky is so blue! So endless and so bright. I didn’t realize how much I missed the color until it returned to me, and I felt my heart ache under the strain of all the joy I was feeling. 

The winter quarter, like the short dark days, has come to an end. And in the spirit of endings, I’m obligated to do one of the activities I enjoy the most- reflection! (Thanks, Realms Middle School.) You can find the original goal-setting post here, and my fall quarter reflection here. 

Friendships

The goals I had involved both new and old social interaction

Making friends with all of my dorm mates

In the fall, I had resigned myself to the idea that the connections my dorm mates and I made over the internet exactly a year ago simply didn’t translate well to in-person connection. However, in the winter quarter, I spent more time with my roommates and had an amazing time. One of my roommates and I (and some other friends) have gone to Seattle together twice in two weeks! We’ve also bonded over our love for the outdoors, and enjoying the sunshine. It seems all that was needed was a little more time, and openness to new experiences on my part. This quarter has taught me that sometimes there’s no need to rush and categorize things. Situations will develop over time, and instead of writing something or someone off immediately, it can be so much better to give opportunities and people the chance to grow. 

Making friends with the people in my classes and herbal apprenticeship

I have yet to start my spring quarter classes, so the jury is still out on how developing friendships with a group of new people will go, but over the winter quarter, I was able to branch out even more in my classes. My classmates and I made a ritual out of going to the climbing gym every Monday and watching all of the Studio Ghibli movies together. Having these designated times to hang out and get to know each other has been very helpful in my feeling of connectivity at the college. I’m going to miss seeing some of the people in my class almost every day, but I hope that our traditions will continue!

Keep in contact with my friends back home

Winter quarter was extremely busy, but I did my best to hold my old friends back home close to my heart! One of my oldest friends, Noe, even came up and visited right before finals. The visit was a bit stressful simply because of the workload I had at the time, but I was able to remind myself that homework is only homework, spending time with friends I love is much more important- and we had a really good time. I’m hopeful more friends will visit me before the school year is over, but even if they don’t I know we’ll keep in contact. I call Maggie almost as much as I call my own family (a family she is a part of in practically every way besides blood) and I look forward to those calls with her all throughout the day.

Caring for myself

Goals I designed to ensure I would be happy and healthy in the new space

Keep my room organized

I’ve gotten into a very effective schedule for room cleaning by following a fairly simple rule: if a task can be completed in under two minutes, do it immediately. So many tasks I’ve constantly put off can be done in such a short amount of time! And getting them done right away helps ease the stress and anxiety both of having a messy room and of not completing what I need to. When you break down cleaning into small steps, every task begins to take less than two minutes and becomes so much easier to tackle. Tackling the tasks one at a time becomes even easier by asking myself this question- what task which, if done first, makes all the other tasks easier? Sometimes that will be simply changing my clothes into something more comfortable, or sometimes that means cleaning the most distressing part of the room first.

Eat healthily and regularly

Honestly, one of the main factors contributing to my healthier and more regular eating is Safeway upping their prices to the point where shopping at Trader Joe’s (an objectively better grocery store in my opinion) is significantly cheaper. This means fresher food, less processed ingredients, and healthier, better-tasting options are available to me for cheaper. I also plan on becoming a member of the Olympia Food Co-op, which would increase my accessibility to more local food, and I would feel much better supporting a co-op as opposed to a giant organization like Trader Joe’s. In addition to better ingredients, I’ve been prepping meals more, and making meals beforehand to ensure that even if I’m in a rush, I can get something good in my body. 

Get outside often

Having just recently returned from a camping trip to the Washington Coast with my family, I would say I’ve gotten outside quite a bit. In addition to the several-day family camping trip, I also explore the woods every chance I get. I never understood the phrase “the mountains are calling me, and I must go” until I lived in Olympia, and experienced the call of the woods. There is hardly a second where I’m not thinking of the forest. As the days get longer and lighter, and the sun is out more, my friends and I have been able to spend even more time outside, having picnics and playing and chatting in the Evergreen fields. My knowledge of the local flora has also increased significantly, and I’m beginning to become even more passionate about herbalism. Expect many posts about what I’ve learned in the future. 

Either continue seeing my current therapist or find a new one

Still have not sought out a therapist. Things have been going very well lately, and the coping skills I learned through previous years of therapy have been serving me well. 

Maintain regular contact with family

My family and I recently went camping for a few days in Washington, so my contact is still recent and fresh. Aside from that, I try to call my parents every night, and sometimes we are graced by Wyatt’s presence on the call as well. 

Personal trifles

Goals designed to improve me in a wide variety of ways

Learn how to navigate the bus system and get into Olympia regularly

I would say I’m proficient in navigating via bus. However, this past quarter I’ve been relying more on one of my friends for rides, which in many ways is much better than a bus. However, I still cherish the time I spend on city buses, music in my headphones, reading a good book, and taking my time to intentionally get to my desired location. 

Make connections to artisans and craftsmen

I’ve made some progress with this goal! I’ve begun getting my wool for needle felting from a local wool dyer at the farmer’s market. Maybe next year I will have a farmer’s market stall of my own.

Improve my handwriting

My handwriting this past quarter has somehow gotten even smaller, and I like how it’s looking at this stage! During evaluation week with my professors, one of my professors from this last quarter commented that my handwriting was even neater than hers. 

Reflection, and what’s to come

I enjoyed this past quarter. The beginning few weeks were a little rough with homesickness and the darker days, but now the sun is returning, and with it comes so much joy. I’m so excited for this next quarter of my first year of college and will continue to chronicle it dutifully.