It’s officially the last day of 2012! Looking back at my 2012 resolutions, I did pretty damn well in meeting my intentions. But that being said, it’s amazing how many surprises – both good and bad – a year can provide. For instance, at this time last year, I didn’t have any hobbies other than my regular yoga class. With my 2012 resolution to take a class at SCAD, I found myself in a dance course after a twelve year hiatus from dance. Then, I signed up for ballroom dance classes. Now, I am taking around 3 dance classes a week and preparing for amateur ballroom competitions and tap performances. I am crazy in love with dancing again.
I have always defined my childhood largely by my time as a dancer. From the age of three to the age of eighteen, I devoted my after-school time to the activity. Foolishly, at the age of eighteen, I thought I had to give up dance since I wasn’t good enough to be a professional. If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be that you never give up on the activities that truly make your heart sing. From my personal experience, life does get harder as you get older. You are responsible for more and your schedule is pretty routine. So, hobbies and passions are even more important for a 30 year old than they are for a 16 year old because they make you feel that overwhelming sense of joy usually reserved for kids. It’s ok to devote a lot of time and energy to an activity that doesn’t necessarily lead to a career. It doesn’t even matter if you are good at it. I think a lot of people don’t devote as much time as they would like to their passions largely b/c they don’t feel they are worthy of that much enjoyment. Like if you engage in too much of what makes you happy you’ll end up self-indulgent. To say that your passion is worth your time is pretty revolutionary.
I took the following pictures at a sculpture garden in Dallas, TX this month. I keep these photos on my phone because they always put a big smile on my face. The little sculptures look caught in a moment of joy and dedication.
So, my new year’s resolution is to commit myself to this rediscovered love of dance – regularly attend classes, sign up for competitions, participate in performances. It will be a great way of taking care of my mental and physical health, and it will be interesting to see how I improve as a dancer in that period of time.
In addition, I hope to plan a fun vacation in 2013. It doesn’t have to be a major trip, but it needs to feel like a vacation. I also want to dedicate some time to learning more photography techniques since I’ve only played with the automatic settings on my 2012 acquired DSLR . Again, travel and art are major themes in my resolutions, but this year I’m going to pump up the volume on my dedication to them all.
