New Year's Day

I really should have done this yesterday, but as Bono says (see video above), “nothing changes on New Year’s Day.” Who will care about a few extra hours?
Anyway, 2008 was probably one of the best years of my life. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I did have a lot of successes and milestones and grew a lot as a person. I got to travel and have other fantastic experiences that helped me to evolve and change. I packed a whole lot into 2008, and I think I can say that I made the most, or at least the majority, of my time.
When 2008 started, I was still in college! And I finally got a class in college that changed my life in a way and changed the way I look at the world. I finally got a class that lived up to all the platitudes on the college brochures. It was a Senior Seminar in English on the subject of Adventure. I really clicked with the material and the concepts (having a crush on the professor didn’t hurt either). It culminated in me writing a 55 page paper on Johnny Cash, the Beach Boys, and Bruce Springsteen. I think this paper really represents my development as a very insightful analyzer of literature. Writing that paper made me immensely proud and I will keep it forever as a symbol of an achievement that reflects both academic and personal interest.
And the Adventure theme became the metaphor for my year. Whenever I found an obstacle in my path, or faced some kind of uncertainty, or even had the opportunity for fun, I said to myself, “Think of this as an adventure.” So I think I will call 2008 the Year of Adventure. You can really use it as a powerful metaphor and mental tool. Once I recognized the elements of Adventure, I started recognizing them everywhere in my own life. I decided to become an Adventurer. I suggest you become one too.
For a week in March, I became a celebrity. The whole Jeopardy madness just exploded. But I’ve got to admit—I really liked it. I definitely could get used to doing interviews and getting recognized. I definitely would not mind a little star treatment. Because I think I showed some star quality! It didn’t give me a big head or make me arrogant, but it did give me a burst of confidence and the little something I needed to make me hold my head high. And the outpouring of enthusiasm and support that people gave me really amazed me. I honestly didn’t make too much of it myself, but my whole attitude changed when I saw the pride that so many people, family and friends and strangers, expressed. I think the refrains of “we’re so proud of you” made me feel even better than winning did. It made me want to win something much bigger just so I could make people even happier than I made all the old folks down at the nursing home. I really don’t want to make too much of it, but it gave me just a glimmering glimpse of something that has long obsessed me—heroism. It was a wild ride and I enjoyed every second of it.
I got to spend the last month of college in London, and all I can say is wow—it honestly was one of the happiest times in my life. Just yesterday I looked back at all my photos and saw again what a great experience I had there. I am so glad I chose to do it. See, I have a problem having fun and doing things for myself, so I almost didn’t go. But it ended up being so much more than I could have imagined. And it gave me a big life goal to shoot for. Getting to live in Britain or just go back for extended periods of time would be a dream come true. On that trip I also got to do something I’ve wanted to do since the age of 11—make the pilgrimage to Liverpool and pay my most heartfelt respects to those four lads. That trip just cemented the feeling I’ve always had that in another life, I was most certainly British.
Pretty much immediately upon my return to the U.S. of A., I graduated from college! How crazy is that? The answer is really crazy. College had gone by so fast for me. I said an easy goodbye to that particular institution itself, because it had never felt remotely like a home to me. Saying goodbye to that era of my life, though, will be much, much harder. I say “will be” because I don’t know if I’ve done it yet. It is, as they say, a process. And looking back now, graduation already seems like a long time ago. I don’t think much about college. I don’t know where those three years went.
After a quick two-week layover in America that saw my brother get married, I went back to Europe! And we had an adventure, traversing through 4 countries in as many languages. My favorite was Spain, where I fancied myself Ernest Hemingway and drank far too much and watched far too much football. It was a great trip and it confirmed the fact that I travel really well. By traveling well, I mean that I don’t get flustered, I can pick up a few essential words, I walk well in crowds, and I have a perfect combination of curiosity and enthusiasm.
The rest of the summer went by too quickly, filled with road trips, barbeques, and unfortunately, a funeral. And then I found myself, seemingly quite by accident, in law school. This should seem like quite a big life move. But I slid into it quite easily, as if it was nothing more than the continuation of school. Some people see law school as LAW SCHOOL, a terrifying experience that represents a huge life change. But I saw it as simply another school, another semester, another subject to master. So far it hasn’t changed me and I really can’t think of too much more to say about it.
The bigger experience of fall 2008 was actually acting in the play Closer. It was simply an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling artistic achievement. I will have to devote an entire post just to the experience of embodying Alice Ayers. But I honestly have to describe it as “life changing.” Not only did Alice help me discover things about myself, but the process made me discover that I love the stage. As only the best experiences do, it left me wanting more.
While all the events and experiences of 2008 make me feel very proud of myself and fill me with positive feelings, they also make me just a little bit afraid. For a long time, I had a paranoia that 8th grade would go down as the best year of my life, because believe it or not, 8th grade represents, for me, a time of extraordinary achievement and personal evolution. I think 2008 has equaled or surpassed 8th grade, but now I have a paranoia that I will never do anything to surpass this year. I mean, when else will I have a year with appearances on national television and two European voyages?
At the end of the Odyssey, the original Adventurer himself, Odysseus, leaves home yet again. As an Adventurer, he cannot just stay put and look back with satisfaction at all the monsters slain and dangers overcome. He doesn’t just put his feet up at home, put his arm around Penelope, and relax. He has to go back out again. And as an Adventurer myself, I have a similar impulse. I cannot just look back at the past year and gloat over how great everything turned out. I want each and every year to turn out as well or even better than this one. I know that something more always hovers just beyond reach waiting for someone to grab it.
I have some kind of drive in me that doesn’t want to have reached my peak at age 21. For years I worried that I peaked at age 13. Maybe I’ll spend the next eight years worried that I peaked at age 21. The only thing to relieve that paranoia is to ensure that each year will bring more great experiences. I already itch for another great role in another great play. I can’t wait to get out of the U.S. again. I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but let me suggest a kind of Life Resolution. Imagine yourself as the Man of La Mancha, always reaching for that unreachable dream. Be an Adventurer and never believe that you’ve peaked. Keep searching, seeking, and rambling on towards the next monster, the next great experience, the new cycle of personal evolution, and another great year.