12 Things I Learned in 2012

I thought about writing down one thing I learned for each month of 2012, but then I realized that some months I learned multiple things and other months blurred together with the rest. So, in no particular order, here’s a list of 12 things I learned in the past year.

• It’s not that you don’t have the time. It’s that you won’t make the time. This was something I took to heart during my hectic school days of juggling work, classes, internships, my relationship and a social life. If I didn’t “have the time” for something, chances were I wasn’t interested. You can always make the time.
• Life after school is weird and not necessarily what you expect. As much as I enjoy not having to study for exams and turn down social engagements because of papers and/or homework, I do miss being in school. I miss the learning aspect of it as well as the social aspect.
• Relationships, both platonic and romantic, take a lot of work. Any relationship is give-and-take, and if you are doing more of one than the other, there are bound to be problems further down the line. Making friends (or falling in love) is the easy part. Staying friends (or staying in love) is the part that requires lots more effort.
• Mushrooms are surprisingly tasty. I jumped on the vegetable bandwagon in 2010, but it wasn’t until this year that I acquired a taste for mushrooms. I have a vague memory of liking them when I was little, then I realized they were fungus and wouldn’t touch them for years.

• It’s hard to meet new people and make friends outside of school. I’m definitely more of an introvert than an extrovert so making friends doesn’t come the most easily to me, but it’s infinitely harder to meet new people and become friends with them outside of a school setting.
• A personalized workspace can do wonders for your mental well-being. I’ve dressed up my desk at work to have photos of my family, G and my best friend, as well as scenery photos from my travels. (Nothing like looking right above my computer screen to see the Great Wall of China for inspiration!) My desk is very me, which I really like. It puts a smile on my face, which is essential!
• I really, really love cooking for others. I always looked forward to my weekly dinner dates with G, and after he took off to Taiwan I really missed cooking for someone. I need to find a way to incorporate that into my life more often, because it makes me so happy.
• Without Skype, I would be one empty shell of a person. Skype allows me to keep in touch with my mom and G. Without regularly Skyping either of them, I would be a total mess. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for loved ones to keep in touch before the era of the Internet.
• I prefer hot weather to cold after a lifetime of the opposite. I credit my years in Australia and that hot, hot summer I spent backpacking in southeast Asia. Cold weather puts a scowl on my face now, and I don’t even want to talk about snow.
• Gel eyeliner is my eyeliner of choice. I was a longtime fan of pencil eyeliners (the twist-up kind – I hate sharpening eye pencils) until my mom suggested I try out gel eyeliners. Seriously, the best stuff ever. I still use pencil, but only on my lower lash line as I can smudge out pencils far more easily than gel.
• I will probably never write a novel anytime soon, and that’s okay. My attempt at NaNowriMo was a big indicator in the fact that writing a novel is not on the cards for me anytime soon. Short stories, however, have far more potential for me, and I want to keep working away at that.
• Learning about saving for retirement isn’t as scary as it sounds. While I can still barely wrap my head around the idea that I have a retirement plan, learning the ins and outs of 401(k)s, IRAs, etc isn’t as bad as it sounds. I credit my company’s office manager and some personal finance blogs that broke down the basics, which helped me feel less overwhelmed by all of the options I had when completing my new hire paperwork.