More resolutions...

Happy midweek, all!
As stated in my previous post, the list of resolutions I gave you was incomplete. I have been brainstorming more resolutions the past few days, so here are a few more I'd like to share with you:
4) Keep up on current events. Growing up, I read my local newspaper every morning at breakfast. And I'm not talking about the comics, I really mean that I read the world, national, local, and cultural news sections every day. Not front to back or anything, but I was sure to cover several stories that interested me, or major news stories. Also, I began reading at an early age, and I've done theater for most of my life: I love stories! I'd really like to get back into that habit of reading the real stories. I'm a student, and often my time in the morning is limited. But I'm going to work towards this goal by making the New York Times my start page (CNN currently is, but I'll be honest- sometimes I'm a little disheartened by their style of reporting. And have you seen the ads they run on their site? It's like Yahoo. Anyways, rant over.). I will also try to set aside fifteen to twenty minutes every day to read a top news story and at least one minor story. Additionally, I will actually read the local newspaper and not just do the crossword at lunch.
5) Volunteer. I never did as much service as I would have liked to when I was younger, and I just seem to keep putting it off. No more. I will get a group of friends together and find something that we can help with. I know for a fact that there's no shortage of opportunities in my area, so this year I'm going to help complete strangers and get involved.
6) Read more. As seen above, I'm a lifelong reader. I miss just being able to sit down with a book and get lost for a while. I have a feeling I'm going to be up to my ears with assigned reading this semester, but instead of wasting my time staring at Facebook at the end of the night, I'm going to read. Currently I have started Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. Seems like it's a great read so far, once you get used to his sometimes-lengthy syntax. You also have to be able to accept that his characters are a little twisted and that their family is not normal- or, perhaps, embodies the new definition of normal? We'll see. I think their dysfunction is the point. 
7) Dawdle less. Once I get settled in doing work, I'm good. I hit a flow and I can go for a long time without a break. But getting started takes way too long. From now on, I'm going to get to it all faster. I think I'll be surprised at how much time I save myself.
Here's a quote about perseverance that I found a few months ago: "Through perseverance, the snail reached the ark." I think that that's something we can all keep in mind as we try to achieve/fulfill our resolutions. No matter how slow going it may seem, if we keep at it, we will succeed.
I hope that you are all staying safe in whatever crazy weather your part of the country is experiencing. Looks like it's getting to be a tough winter out there. Enjoy the beauty of the snow and the quiet, and count how many Mondays left until your next vacation/long weekend.
Good vibes,
Imara