"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." ~ Blessed Mother Teresa
On October 5, 2013 the Concert Chorale and Chamber Singer groups of Benedictine College performed a Disney themed Pops Concert. Here are the videos in order!
Thank you so much to all my fellow performers and those who worked hard to make this happen. It was such a joy to be part of!
I happened to see this link up, and thought it would be neat to summarize my blog with some of my favorite posts. But boy was it hard to choose! Here are some of my most favorite and/or popular posts.
Click around and read these if you haven’t already! Or if you’re new here, have fun learning about my life and the way I write from these posts. You can also read about me or contact me. Be sure to check out the other blogs in a blink over here.
Goals . . . huh? Did I set goals? Oh yeah. I did. And surprise, surprise, they did not all happen.
But I figured out why: I was not specific enough. Hence this list:
1. Do not waste time on my computer.
Um, hum. I have to say that most of the time my laptop is on I am working or doing homework. But I’m still on it more than I’d like.
2. Work on my prayer life.
I did make progress here. Yay! I’m doing adoration once a week and 40 Days for Life prayers (with a chaplet of divine mercy) everyday. It’s wonderful. I’m also working on “On Heaven and Earth” by Pope Francis which is beautiful. Praying and focusing on God’s will makes me such a better person.
3. Exercise 3 times a week.
I have been exercising (inconsistently) almost 3 days a week. We did it MWF a couple weeks and then got thrown off with always-changing schedules. But I have a fabulous playlist that we blast, and it’s fun.
4. Eat healthy(ish).
The cafeteria is trying to be healthy this year, but the food is not different. They just serve you teeny portions. This one is not too hard for me, though, because I feel like this when I’m not eating well:
No I don’t quite feel like an over-sized and creepy slug man sleazebag. But you get the picture. Eating poorly makes me feel gross, and I know that, so I do an okay job of eating fine. *Not counting my Nutella consumption*
5. Publish 5 articles with Live Action.
Fail. I published one. This goal kills me because I have several articles I want to write but just have to make the time.
6. Start a list of potential employers for next summer.
I’m still throwing around ideas about where I want to go with my work next summer: stay home, go to an internship, pro-life, or business experience? I’ve been trying to set up a meeting with the person on campus who does things like this and helps students find jobs, but haven’t heard back about it yet.
7. Think about writing a book.
I certainly thought about it, but no more than that.
8. Figure out a process for keeping track of homework.
I write each homework assignment on a sticky note and put it on the side of my dresser. Then when it’s done I tear it up. The only problem is when I forget to put it up there and it’s only in my notes and I forget to check those….
9. Devote one hour a day to diligent homework.
No comment.
We talked about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals in my management class recently, and it makes sense. Obviously. Lots of smart and professional people use this. I’ll definitely keep it in mind more as I continue trying to be a better person through goal setting. Here’s what it stands for:
1. Continue going to 40 Days for Life prayers everyday.
2. Go to daily Mass twice a week: Tuesday and Thursday.
3. Go to Latin Mass in Kansas City.
4. Do not dilly-dally on social media when there is homework to be done.
5. Finish “On Heaven and Earth”
6. Exercise 3 times a week. No excuses.
7. Publish 5 articles with Live Action.
8. Set up that meeting to figure out more of where I want to go with next summer’s work.
9. Devote a solid hour with no breaks to diligent homework each day – more as necessary.
10. Start sidewalk counseling.
11. Get the “Pillar of Inspiration” set up so I can go stare at it when I want to procrastinate or work on a project that is not extremely important.
12. Keep adding to my prayer intention booklet and become a prayer warrior for people. Let me know if you have someone (or something) or a specific intention you’d like me to add.
13. Read Lumen Fidei.
I was homeschooled all the way through my pre-college education. But not the pj’s all day OR denim jumpers with ankle length hair kind. We were in the middle – I think with a happy balance. I had the opportunity to take classes (language, science, writing, and math tutoring) outside the house during high school, so getting to college wasn’t a complete shock.
The kind of studying college requires is much different than what I had experienced. In the last year, I’ve found that classes challenge me in a way that causes me to thrive (when I put in the effort) and that I enjoy (sometimes). But getting to that point can be really annoying.
Being more of a kinesthetic learner, reading assignments are a drag. I do not enjoy them. And quite honestly, I rarely sit down and read an entire assignment word for word without skimming some and reading the highlights. My brain just sees the page and is like “Really? I have to read all this? Time to get sleepy!” Of course, being tired doesn’t help. But reading just makes me tired (not to mention the fact that I don’t necessarily remember the majority of what my eyes read).
Working out problems, be it math, economics, or psychology, is much more interesting to me.
Writing is better. I can be a little more creative. Just PLEASE don’t give me a super long paper assignment. (Hmm, yeah. I looked at my class syllabuses, and know I have a couple coming).
Something I simply do not understand is when teachers give you a ginormous amount of homework that is not realistic to complete. Whether it is during the week or over the weekend, I seriously do not have 2 hours a day to devote to each of my classes. Is that ridiculous of me? Am I just not a super academically-inclined person?
Well, let’s think about the math: I’m taking 6 classes. Most of my professors say that I should devote 2 hours to homework for every hour in class.
Hours in class each week: 17
Hours expected to do homework each week: 34
Total time expected to devote solely to academics each week: 51
“HAHA!” You might say. “That’s just like having a job.” And it’s true. Some people work over 60 hours a week. And you know what? I think they are crazy.
When God made humans, he didn’t say “Here are these fabulous people I have made to sit at desks and study until they gorge their eyes out when they can’t take it anymore.”
He made us to be with each other. Not to sit alone and study.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot sit and study for long periods of time. I get tired. It bores me. It surely depends on the subject, but much of the time I’d rather be working on an article, or arranging things for Ravens Respect Life, or reading a good book, or talking with friends. Some of my most favorite memories from college so far have been the nights where I stay up until 3am talking with friends. Or when we recently made “The Catholic Game of Life”. The funny thing? I don’t remember the nights where I stayed up to write a paper. Those are not what I’m going to remember about my college experience years from now.
Right now I’m trying to find a balance between making memories and still making college worth the money. Don’t worry. I do my homework, and I’ve never failed a class. My education is not going to be flushed down the loo. I’m not planning on it. That might freak you out. Maybe you’re the kind of person who blows a gasket if you don’t get an “A”. But me?
I’ve met wonderful people, I have learned a lot, I’ve made memories I will never forget, I’m finding the joy in random adventures, and I am becoming a better person. In 50 years, will I look back and wish I did 5 points better on a test? Probably not. Would I regret not meeting people and making the most of this time in my life? Yes, I think so.
And that is the long explanation for why you won’t find me studying all the time.
It’s been over a week since I got to school. And I have just been SO on top of everything. I have a stack of homework waiting to be handed in (for the next week), folded all my laundry, have organized everything in my suite, AND went to Mass everyday since I’ve been here.
Alas, that is not true.
I am naturally a moderately organized person. When things are out of place I get annoyed and it stresses me out when I don’t know my schedule. But this semester, I didn’t organize my binders until the day before class. I still haven’t unpacked everything. I am currently sitting on a stripped bed while my clean laundry is over in my hamper. My desk is covered in stuff (though in neat piles – AND pro-life stuff).
One thing I am happy about is that I have not been spending a ridiculous amount of time on my computer. It actually went unused for a few days when I was traveling! And I’m pretty sure I’ve only been on Pinterest once or twice since I’ve been here.
All this got me thinking: Huh? Didn’t I set goals a while back? The answer is yes. I did.
In order to keep myself more accountable, I will post a review of the past month and look ahead to the next month near the beginning of each month. Since I haven’t really started on them yet, this month I’ll be looking ahead to my September.
1. Do not waste time on my computer.
If there are more important things to be done, do NOT get on Facebook or Pinterest. Time should be limited to around half an hour a day (not including work).
2. Work on my prayer life.
I can never consistently go to Mass everyday, because I get burnt out. Pick 2 or 3 days (other than Sunday) to go, and stick with it. Other than that, prayer needs to be part of my daily routine. Find a morning prayer to say, and hang it by my bed to start the day with. End the day by reading for around 15 minutes from a spiritual book. Sign up for an adoration spot during the week. Pick a time to go to confession once a month.
3. Exercise 3 times a week.
With all the hills and stairs here, my legs are telling me that I’m getting a fine enough workout, buuuuuuuut nope. Not true. I forgot the Jillian DVD at home, and will hopefully be getting that in the mail soon. Living in a suite is a lovely set-up to work out in, so I’ll just have to schedule this to make sure it happens. I’ve got work-out buddies here now, so that will make it easier.
4. Eat healthy(ish).
The reality is that you just don’t have many options in the caf (hence the “ish”). Because when they have something weird for dinner, your options are cereal or ice cream….or the salad bar (which gets REALLY old). I’m doing my own breakfast of oatmeal, which I don’t need much of to tide me through morning classes. It’s pretty healthy too. Lunch is not too hard, but dinner can be. Who knows of creative things to do in cafeterias that are not grossly unhealthy?
5. Publish 5 articles with Live Action.
I have one already done, and just need to set time aside to do this.
6. Start a list of potential employers for next summer.
There are many pro-life internships available, so I’m planning to start looking into ones that would be good experience for me.
7. Think about writing a book.
I included this in my general goals a while ago, and have been throwing the idea around. Thoughts?
8. Figure out a process for keeping track of homework.
If I work hard on it, I can get my homework done (obviously) on time. But my problem is remembering it all. I might write in in my notes, but then what if I forget? Ahh! Last year I wrote each assignment on a sticky note and had a place on my wall for them. It was rather satisfying to tear up each one when I was done 🙂 This year….well, my walls are made of cinder blocks and don’t like holding anything. It has to be something tangible for me, and not on the computer. Hmmmmmmm.
9. Devote one hour a day to diligent homework.
If I need more time, take it! No exceptions. No distractions.
On top of all this, I have some rather time-consuming classes, and Ravens Respect Life. RRL could pretty much be a part-time job, except for the fact that it’s volunteer. Ha.Ha. Oh, and I also work 4 hours a week in the mail room. And did I mention maybe I should sleep?
I’ve been saying that this year is going to be a challenge, and it’s true. It’s easy to sit down and not do everything I need to. But that just can’t happen. I have too much on my plate to let anything slide off, and need to be on top of my life. I have to be responsible. I expect a lot of my RRL officers (and people in general) and cannot give any less than what I would expect from them. Time to hang motivational posters up? I think so! And I know for a fact that working on my prayer life and exercise automatically makes me an all-around better person. Watch out world!
A Drop in the Ocean 