Change

I've changed. It's as simple as that. Not a huge change, but I've definitely not the same person I was a few months ago. It's been on my mind for some time now, and it wasn't too long ago that I decided that if I want to become a good, respectable individual, I need to make some changes.

First, and probably the biggest change, is that I'm just not that into the drinking and partying scene anymore. I just don't find it entertaining these days. Don't get me wrong, I still like to go out and have fun (I did make an appearance at the music fest last night), but I'm just not into going out and drinking. This presents a problem, because 99% of my friends do like that scene and that's what they want to do with their free time. Anymore, I'm perfectly happy just staying home and watching movies, however, I don't know anyone else who is. So basically, this has left me feeling a little "friendless" lately and kind of lonely. But, even if my phone no longer rings at 3am with texts about "after-bar" parties, I still know that this change will be for the better. There are a lot of little girls in my family who might look up to me as a role model as they go through their early teenage years, and if I want to set a good example and be a good role model, the partying and drinking is OUT.

Another change is that I'm making more of an effort to know and understand what is going on in the world around me. I think we have some pretty big issues in our own country right now that we should all be well-informed of. I am a firm believer that you have no right to complain about something unless you really understand the facts of what you are complaining about. The only way to know what's going on in the world is to watch the news, read the newspaper, and just take a look around. That being said, watching the news is, of course, going to give you a distorted view of the reality, as everyone knows that most of the newsmedia is biased one way or the other. Since I'm too poor to actually travel the world and see things firsthand, I've made an effort to watch various news networks, in an attempt to get "both sides" of the story. This means...be prepared for the shocker here...that I've been watching Fox News. I've even go so far as to watch Bill O'Reilly. My political viewpoints have changed. I'm not a Republican, but I'm not a Democrat either. I just have more conservative viewpoints than I thought I did. I would have to say that most (not all) of my viewpoints are along the lines of the Libertarian party. Too bad they don't have a news network.

Another change: I've been going back to church again. I have missed it. I met the new minister while my mom and I were going on walks in the evenings (the minister and her husband walk as well). I thought she seemed like a very nice person and very outgoing and easy to talk to. I started going to church to see what her service was like and I realized that I should have gone back a long time ago. It's hard to explain, and I am not one of those people who tries to push religion onto others, but as soon as I started going back, I just knew that it was the right thing to do. Not just because we have a new minister, but because I needed that sense of security I guess. That being said, our new minister really does do a good job and I like her services. I think our church will really benefit from having her here.

Change #4, of course I've already talked about this is numerous other posts, I've been eating better and trying to exercise most days of the week. I can already notice a change since I started this a little over a week ago. I don't know if I've lost any weight (I don't weigh myself), but my clothes fit better and I feel more awake and alert during the day. Putting all that crappy junk food into my body was making me feel sluggish. Now I feel like I have a lot more energy.

The last change, which I haven't had a chance to really try to put into effect yet, is that I am going to try to have a better work ethic. Not that I think I had a bad work ethic at my last clinical (I actually think I had a pretty good one), but I think that I need to have a better attitude about my work ethic in class for the next 7 weeks. I'm not looking forward to going back at all, for a variety of reasons that I have already mentioned in previous posts, but I am going to try to have a better attitude about it. I especially need to work on this better attitude when it comes to staying late and driving through hectic Toledo traffic to get to and from the Scott Park campus. I have never had a good attitude about having to stay late for school or work, but this year, I am going to try. In my career, it's something that I am just going to have to get used to and it's going to be the biggest obstacle that I have to overcome. It will be interesting to see if I can tackle it.

So there you have it, my life's recent changes. Like I said, they're not huge changes, but I do feel like I may be a better person for them. I guess I'll let everyone else decide in the weeks and months to come.