Four Days into 2014

I was actually going to write a nice Happy New Year post, full of thoughts and feelings and hopes and dreams. I was typing it up on New Year's Eve, in between putting on my makeup and doing my nails, but the post I wanted wouldn't come out of my brain. All that I could think about was that on last New Year's Eve, I got a phone call that one of my sorority sisters was killed in a car wreck. Whenever I tell people this, they all automatically assume that it was a drunk driving accident, because it was NYE. But no, reality is sometimes even worse than imagination. Jennifer had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier in 2012, and was on her way to her oncologist to find out if she was truly cancer free. And she never made it to her appointment. 

My ADPi pledge class on Bid Day, 2011

So instead of the usual "OMG yay its NYE!!" posts all over social media, my facebook, twitter, and instagram were peppered with posts remembering Jennifer's life and missing her on the anniversary of her death. What struck me was not only the content of the posts, but the bond of sisterhood within my sorority and how we comforted and loved on each other, even when we are spread out across the country. 

My own New Year's Eve was spent with a bunch of friends, having fun, dancing, and nearly freezing to death because it was super cold outside. I had to work New Year's Day, as I have for the past two years. And that was my last day of work for the month of January, because I started my nuclear rotation on the 2nd. Our schedule is just as terrifying as I expected. Starting next week, we are doing mostly overnight shifts, going to class during the morning, and sleeping in the afternoon and evening. Needless to say, I won't be posting very often this month. Also, I might turn into a vampire.

I am not really the New Year's Resolutions type - they just seem so cliche. I do, however, like to make goals for myself, although not necessarily tied to a certain day of the year. This year especially, making resolutions on January 1st seems a bit pointless, since my January schedule is so demanding that any goal I set will fall by the wayside as long as I am nocturnal, until February rolls around and my sleep cycle returns to normal. So we can talk about goals and resolutions later. The month of January, I have only one goal: Survive!