Food with Friends | Decluttering

Wednesday, December 17th

I'm officially done with my third semester at the University of Texas. *takes deep sigh of relief*

Looking back, if I have learned anything this semester it is that taking care of yourself is first priority, and health and well-being are not to be sacrificed for whatever reason. It's a lesson that was difficult and stressful for me to learn, but I will definitely not make the same mistakes again.

My Accounting final was awful, so I would prefer not to think about it, but thankfully I don't have to anymore because I have around a month before I have to go back to work or school. After my final, I felt utterly defeated, but my friend Kang and I went to the gym for a bit which cleared my mind. He usually doesn't like to run, but I actually got him on the treadmill, even if it was just for a couple minutes.

Since then, things have been nice for me -- stress-free.

Yesterday, I opted in to work for five hours, which I was regretting in the morning because being done with school, I had no motivation to get out of bed to go to work, but the hours actually went by pretty quickly, and my supervisor talked with me about my performance review, basically telling me that I was 'Excellent' all around, which was motivating to hear. Due to a faculty luncheon at the International Office, there were cookies downstairs that I would periodically raid the break room for (feeling guilty, but not really).

For some reason, my friends and I simultaneously developed a craving for fried chicken yesterday, so after work, a couple of us went to Gus's Fried Chicken downtown. It took much debate about which chicken place to visit, but Gus's was a good choice, very fresh and Southern. Afterwards, we went to Kang's place to watch TV and hang out, as kind of a last visit before everyone goes home for the holidays. Everyone was in a great mood because today was the last day of finals, so it was really pleasant to just hang out without any worries or obligations.

A couple more of our friends stopped by to say goodbye to everyone, and as everyone was talking about how their finals went and what their plans were for Christmas, I couldn't help thinking that my friends almost feel like a second family to me. I really appreciate that I have made some really decent friends while at the university, people who I can feel comfortable doing almost anything with. It felt really nice to see all of my friends so happy together.

Today, I did some cleaning; I am reading a book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (one of my goals this break is to read a couple books), and it talks about getting rid of unnecessary clutter in your life, so I have been making attempts to really clear my mind and apartment of "mess." I think it is extremely important to get rid of things that just merely take up space, not only for your apartment or home, but for your mind. Keeping only the things that are truly important to you around is a great way to start thinking more clearly, and feeling less cramped, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Because I am headed home to Katy today, I didn't have time to clean up everything that I intended, but when I get back it will be the first thing that I do! I'm not sure what the holidays have in store for me this year, but I am playing it by ear and can't wait to bake and shop for my family and friends, and finally get some sleep.