Just gonna keep chasing - 2017

This song was my theme song 2015. It managed to pump me up and help to get me out of my funks after coming home from my mission. I loved the idea of chasing the sun - of living life to the fullest and striving to chase my dreams. As I was making the long drive from Rexburg to Mesa, "Chasing the Sun" came up on my playlist, and it made me think again of how much I love this song and what it has come to mean, and I decided that I want to make it the theme again, for 2017.

2017 is going to bring some pretty neat things for me, and is going to be a time where I will need to prep for some changes and big choices. By the end of 2017, I will only have one semester left of school, which means I need to be prepared for the next steps of life. Military? Grad school? Full-time job? Where will I live? So many things to think about?

In the meantime, I'm going to be doing research, which Nerd-Beth gets SUPER excited for. All of my classes for the rest of my time in Rexburg will pertain to my degree - no more still foundation classes that make me want to stab my eyes out. Again, Nerd-Beth is very happy. I'll hopefully be making TWO California trips, which makes me happy, because, well, California. One of my best friends will be getting home from her mission. And that's only the things I know are happening. There are adventures to be had and unplanned events that will happen. I'm pretty stoked for this new year. I'm even more excited for what these things mean for my dreams. I'm chasing them pretty hardcore this year.

I did pretty well chasing dreams in 2016. I was a research assistant; I got straight A's this last semester; I went on an adventure to Wyoming, camping with my best friend and her boyfriend (literally my first time camping in over 5 years) which involved going to Yellowstone for the first time; I became open about my same-sex attraction, which has been such a blessing to my life. Probably my favorite thing from this year is how comfortable I have become with who I am and in being able to express myself. I am Beth Root. Hear me roar. My other favorite thing is that I feel like my capacity to love has deepened. Life is not easy. This year has been a roller-coaster. Instead of isolating myself in self-pity, I have reached out, loved deeply, and not only survived my trials, but conquered them, because I looked outward, rather than inward.

I might not have rocked some of my goals - pizza and fast food is always a weakness of mine. Writing in my journal was pretty much nonexistent. But, I started running! I even ran a 5K! I changed my eating habits slightly - salads are a little bit more regular and I ate real food, like chicken or fish, instead of ramen and mac and cheese all the time. I really enjoyed this past semester, and looked forward to most of my classes (probably the reason why I earned A's. Funny how well you do when you're interested and invested in a class). My ultimate goal for 2016 was to increase my happiness. I think that was a win, because, well, I'm pretty dang happy!

I'm really bad at long term goals - and I consider a year long term. This year, I've found semester goals have been a little bit more effective, but there are a few things I want to conquer in 2017.

#1: I want to keep running. It's not my favorite, but I love the feeling afterwards. The feeling of accomplishment and knowing that I'm doing something good to take care of my body. I want to run a 5K in under 30 minutes.

#2: I want to actively work on improving my Spanish. Once upon a time, I actually was pretty decent at it. Now I can only talk about comida. Porque comida es vida. I want to start working on the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I wish I could say something like read the whole thing in Spanish, but I don't think that's realistic, so I'm gonna shoot for reaching Alma.

#3: I want to road trip. I want to go somewhere other than Utah, Arizona, or California. I feel like it is important to have adventures. They cause one to stretch and adventures usually involve spending time with loved ones or finding new people to love.

#4: The ultimate goal of 2017: Rather than making is about myself, I want to make it about others. Rather than making is about increasing my happiness, I want it to be about increasing others' happiness. This might not exactly be measurable, so my actual goal is to express my love for others. I regularly will let people know that I love them.

I feel pretty satisfied about what I've been able to do this year. I've been able to get closer to my dreams. At some points, it has felt like I've been flying.

So, here's to the end of a great (though hard) year and to the beginning of 2017. Let's all work at making it a year where we just try, where we live life to the fullest, where we chase the sun!

So fill up your lungs and just run!
But always be chasing the sun!
All we can do is try
And live like we're still alive.