Not New Year’s Resolutions
I have mixed feelings on New Year’s resolutions, so instead of making a list of things I want to do or change and inevitably not follow through with, I, instead, want to work on saying “yes” to more things.
I often struggle with trying new things or doing something out of my usual routine because I am happy in my comfort zone. My initial reaction when asked to do something is “no”. I think I like to say no because it is easy; I don’t have to figure out any logistics or spend any money. However, the voice in the back of my head says I am lame and need to get out more. Yes, there is still a pandemic making it easy for me to cancel plans, but pretty soon people are going to stop inviting me to do stuff!
My friends invited me to go resort skiing at Alyeska and, surprise, I said no. I could think of so many reasons not to go. I could crash and die, my foot is still too unstable, I am too slow to keep up with the group, I don’t want to buy a lift ticket, I don’t even own resort skiing equipment. But, after a little (read: a lot of) peer pressure, they convinced me to go and we had a great time. We skied a different route each lap, stopped for some delicious soup and sandwiches at The Bake Shop, met up with several friends and teammates who had the same idea to ditch the nordic skis, and closed off the day with sore legs and a James Bond movie. Will I go again? Probably not, but I’m glad I did it.
In my efforts to say “yes” more, I have tried several new things. I, obviously, said yes to resort skiing and had a great time skiing Alyeska for the first time. I also went snowshoeing for the first time with my sister in Colorado, which was surprisingly super hard. I went fat biking in 16 inches of powder, which was also super hard and I do not recommend it! My wallet thinks I have said yes too much when trying new restaurants, but I otherwise would have never tried Yak and Yeti. Their food is Himalayan inspired and similar to curry without the bright colors. I am not going to lie to you, my first thought was that this looks like baby food—it was all one mushy, dark color. Despite my initial opinions, it is absolutely delicious and I will definitely be eating there again when I don’t feel like cooking.
If my roommates read this post, they are going to be mad at me because I keep saying no to their invites to go out downtown. I have been a terrible 21 year old and have not gone to a bar yet, but I promise I will go out once school work and Covid aren’t a barrier. I look forward to saying “yes’ more and seeing what adventures it will take me on this year.
