Starting Off the Summer Right

Another late post, I am truly sorry! I have to admit, the past few weeks have not really been that busy for me, but I haven’t written in a while because I’ve sort of just been soaking everything in… I’ve taken the time to live out the last days of my first year in HNU as fully as I possibly could, so that meant being more outdoors rather than cooped up in my bed with my laptop tucked in under the sheets with me. But now that the hurricane’s over and I’m settling back down to the normal life in Los Angeles County, I’ll be writing a lot more and I’ll make it my goal to post on my blog at least once a week… Time to give my followers something to read!

With that being said, I am the one who needs to start reading again. I feel as though the part of my brain that knew all these vocabulary words and knowledge about literature has become dull, and I’ve hit a rut with my poetry. I genuinely believe that it is because I haven’t read in leisure in such a long, long time, so I intend to start doing so this summer!

I also did something today that I never ever thought I would do… sign up for a gym membership. A year ago, I firmly believed that a gym pass isn’t necessary to have a toned body. It probably still isn’t, but I’ve begun to see the importance of a well-equipped, no-excuses, no-pain-no-gain facility. I’m looking forward to all the cardio that I’m going to force myself to do this summer, and hopefully, a friend will be kind enough to teach me the ropes of how to properly weight-lift.

And I suppose being back in SoCal isn’t all that bad… I mean, yeah, there’s the terrible heat, and the dreaded freeways, and the not-so-friendly materialistic society that I was raised in– but then there are also the delicious Filipino and other home-cooked meals that I’ve missed for eight months (I am blessed to be born from the best chefs of life), seeing my best friends, and the incomparable beaches. I haven’t started working at Pieology yet, and I probably should take advantage of all this freedom that I have until then… but sometimes it also feels nice to just lay on the couch and be the best potato that I can be.

I forgot to mention a few key things that I’ve learned throughout my whole year in Holy Names:

1. Mind your own business. Leave all the drama and sniffin’ around where it belongs– back in high school. Life’s just better when it’s simpler.
2. Be patient and kind. If you’re like me, you might be a bit high-strung and always ready to be on-the-go, and it’s hard to temper your emotions when plans go awry. But not everybody is like you or me. In fact, I don’t know a single person who is always on time for anything or keeps their word entirely as planned, but you know what? It’s all good. You’ll find that there will be a lot of things that do not go as perceived, and it’s how you handle those stressful moments that define your growth in character. If people are late or unpleasant, it’s okay. There’s probably a reason behind it; just be the most understanding as you can be.
3. Have “you” time. It’s okay if you don’t feel like hanging out with anybody for the night, or for a couple of days, or even for a week. It’s alright to want to escape social media for a while and go MIA until you feel like it. You need to have brunch dates with yourself and take walks alone and not feel ashamed or embarrassed for any of it. People don’t realize that it’s completely okay to want time as a solo human being, but it’s okay, because during these moments, you do not have to explain yourself to anybody.
4. Honesty is the best policy. Of course, it depends on the situation, but I trust that you are all responsible adults that know when the truth has to be said– Fortunately for me, I know the fine line between gossip and truth; however, unfortunately for me, a lot of my colleagues do not, and that is where my tongue gets me in spots of trouble. But if you know deep in your heart that you’ve done the world justice by being truthful, then don’t shame yourself. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid to tell someone how sweaty they make your palms and how looking into their eyes makes you feel some type of way… be bold about your feelings, but expect nothing in return for being honest. Because that’s what’s great about honesty… you’re doing it because you know that it’s the right thing to do.
5. Put yourself out there. Participate in as many events as possible even if you don’t know anybody there, get out of your comfort zone and delve into a whole ‘nother scene and dance your pants off and get a little tipsy and show yourself and your friends a good time, always be down for late-night food runs and random risque adventures that lead to mystery, and get out of your shell. College is the time to make a name for yourself and realize all the other dimensions of you and the world and all that the whole damn universe has to offer. This, plainly, is your time to shine. The golden years of your life. The reckless years. The years you’ll tell stories about later on.
6. God will always guide you to the right path, so don’t be afraid. Throughout the year, I found myself questioning why things happened in certain ways and why my life geared to new directions that I hadn’t foreseen. I panicked a lot and frequently questioned why people would walk in and out of my life so quickly and easily as cheese through a grater and how the most unexpected of friendships and flings began… But I look back and I can see that all those people, whether they are still there or not, have come to teach me valuable lessons that I would not have learned had they never graced my life. Friendships, relationships, falling-outs, and restorations happen for many reasons that make life a bit better everyday, and I do believe that He is the reason behind all of the motions. And it all works out.
7. Have faith. This is probably related to the last one, but it’s more of being active in the pursuit of getting to know God more. My spiritual relationship has grown tremendously this school year and if there’s anything beautiful and true in my life, that would be it. And the beautiful part is that it all has formed naturally… As lame as this sounds to many people, going to church was a lot of fun for me and I’ve met so many people in Campus Ministry and outside of church who share the same love for God as me, and for the first time in a while I’ve felt a sense of community and belonging. Father Sal is my inspiration to stay rooted in my faith, and life is just a thousand times better with God in my heart.

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