Hello 2021! My mother tells me that starting February 12, it is going to be the year of the white ox (not sure what that really means). As a somewhat superstitious individual who was born in 1997, another year of the ox, I am especially excited to see how this year turns out.
Things I’ve Learned/Stuck with Me in 2020
- Would you rather have 4 quarters or 100 pennies? — During a grocery run with a few of my dental school friends, we came across the topic of friendship and how it changes as we age. One friend popped out this question and it really stuck with me. This year, with the pandemic and the quarantine, I realized how important friendship is, but also how it is completely okay and normal for friendships to change. How yes, it is so awesome to have group chats with friends who you talk to every single day. Or how great it feels to have friends who you don’t talk to ever, but whenever you do decide to catch up, it feels like you were never apart and you can “get back to where you left off”. But just as warm as these 2 types of friendships are, I also see the art of a fleeting friendship, one that you know will most likely not last forever, but you will keep up to date indirectly with social media or word of mouth. I strongly believe that all 3 types of friendships can change to another in no particular order, and that is completely natural. I’ve learned to see the beauty in all these types of relationships and accepted that it’s okay to let people go. However, instead of having 4 quarters, can I have like 3 quarters and 25 pennies? LOL.
- Feel the feeling, don’t become it — I saw this in a friend of a friend’s insta post and oh boy did I feel called out. As an Aries (LMAO SORRY BUT I REALLY RESONATE WITH MY ZODIAC SIGN), this is one of my greatest flaws. I become triggered and passionate so easily, to the point that I physically feel myself bringing down the mood. This is most definitely something I need to work on and be intentional with.
- Dogs truly are a man’s best friend ❤ — My puppy, Royi has honestly been the greatest blessing of 2020. I used to get a bit annoyed when people would rave about how great their dogs are, but now I get it LOL. Growing up with only fish and hermit crabs as pets, I did not understand how much a dog can change your life. Seeing him grow up and mature so quickly honestly brings tears to my eyes. He has also done wonders to my stress and anxiety. The other day I joked with my mother about how she would feel if I had a baby right now because she had me at 23 or 24, and she goes, “you do have a baby, Royi!” :)
- Daily walks physically and spiritually are so so so important — this quarantine + getting a little puppy has increased my physical daily walks tremendously. As annoying as it can be to have to walk Royi 3x a day, after each walk, I feel so rejuvenated and ready to face the day. It also reminds me that what I am dealing with that day, whether it be class, studying, or other issues, that there is always time to take a break. However, when it comes to my spiritual walk with Christ, there is a lot less consistency. I feel like this is the case every year for me and I get so frustrated thinking about how far I’ve come. As I look back at my Christ-centered posts from the past, I have my doubts, wondering if I only wrote those posts because life was relatively “good” and if my faith is dependent on how I am feeling. I don’t really know and I am definitely struggling spiritually, so I ask for faith, prayer, and accountability during this time.
- Our world is broken — I knew this already, but this year made it so much more clear. By seeing how much an impact the COVID pandemic had on everyone’s lives, becoming educated on the Black Lives Matter Movement, witnessing very ugly sides of individuals when it comes to politics and empathy, etc. I’m not going to touch upon these topics too much in this post, but my eyes were opened a lot more this year to become aware of all the brokenness in this world and how important it is to not be ignorant of it all, as someone in a place of privilege.
- As a Christian, your values cannot be fully encompassed in one political party — This election year brought about a lot of stress and it still is not completely over. I remember first learning about politics in school around grade 10. After hearing about both current political parties, I was so sure that most Christians must identify with the democratic party because of what they do with feeding the poor, social programs, immigration views, redistributing money, etc… Boy was I wrong. With religious Korean American parents, I learned that they were pretty independent with their views, but had the tendency to lean more conservatively. My family is not usually super involved with politics, but this year we all did our part and voted. I think this year, I finally saw how much a difference politics can have in this world and understood the importance of enacting my right to vote.
- Don’t take things too personally — I feel as though I’ve probably talked about this in another post, but I’ll always remember hearing in a sermon that when you are criticizing/verbally attacking another person, you are often comparing your best qualities to another person’s worst. Thus, it is important to take a step back and reflect before doing this. It often has more to do with your own insecurities than someone else’s faults. Jealousy, envy and hate can be exhausting, so I hope in 2021 I will learn to reflect, empathize, and love more with greater intentionality.
- Family first — As I age, I can’t help but see my parents more as friends than elders. Of course, I still want to honor them the most of my ability, but with all the time I spent with them during the quarantine and seeing how honest I can be with them now, I respect them even more. My family moved houses in June 2020 to my parents’ dream house, a place that they claim that they will die in. I know I said this already, but I find it insane how I am at the age that they had me. As we were cleaning up the new house, I found a copy of my father’s dental school CV and became overwhelmed with a sense of awe as I saw extracurriculars that we were/are both involved in 20 years apart. Everyday I remind myself of how privileged I am to not have to worry about money, emotional support, language barriers, and even issues with my career choices, all due to my parents and grandparents’ decision to immigrate to the USA. I cannot say the same about my parents and grandparents back in the day, and I am forever grateful to be their daughter/grand daughter. As the eldest of three, it has also been an honor to see my siblings grow up. With my little sister getting into dental school and my little brother getting into college/ getting his first girlfriend, I don’t know what I would do without siblings to grow along side with. As much as we fight and annoy the heck out of each other, it’s nice to know I will always have these 2 beings who I can reflect on funny stories from our past with, who understand the environment we grew up in, and who will always be free to take care of my dog + future children hehe.
- Your significant other should be your best friend — I’m probably one of the worst people to get relationship advice from considering my current boyfriend of 3 years is the only person I’ve been in a serious relationship with ever. But yeah he is my best friend and I am so grateful for him. He is everything that I am not. He is patient, slow to anger, doesn’t take things too personally, etc. And I am everything he is not: funny, intelligent, psycho. HAHA jk kinda… He is just my person. There have most definitely been times when I get frustrated because I feel like our relationship has plateaued, but we somehow always bounce back because we care about each other that much. He has shown me love in so many ways through romance when we go on dates, friendship when we play boardgames with friends/family, motherly love when he takes care of me when I’m lit LOL… Yeah he’s a keeper. I hope in 2021 I don’t take him for granted. ❤사랑해 지민아❤
- Netflix/Korean dramas, getting lit, retail therapy, and eating out are great escapes, but do not fully fill up voids! — I have zero hobbies so these 4 activities are what I enjoy doing lmao. But honestly, I realize that no real good comes out of these. I know they are all fine in moderation, but they also can get in the way of my relationship with God. I told myself I would stop drinking in 2021, but idk if that’s realistic lol. So to doing all these things IN MODERATION!!!!
New Years Resolutions
- Healthier lifestyle: more exercising, more water, more daily walks, less drinking, less just lying around, etc.
- STOP CURSING — I have been cursing way too much and it is not a look
- Blog more! I love reading back on these posts so I hope I do this more.
- Finish the Bible — I’ve been trying to do this for 10 years or so now, I always fail midway lol so I’m going to try to follow through with the Bible app on my phone.
- I received a handwritten letter from a friend for Christmas and it was so touching so I want to do this for all the people who have made a difference in my life LOL — so I hope to do this before 2021 ends :)
