kevin time
Something I've started doing this semester is "Kevin Time." I move all of my electronics outside my room, and I spend the first hour every day doing things that are not "work" - i.e. schoolwork or research - and solely do the thing that feels the most right to me. This can be some combination of meditation, journaling, working out, gratitude journaling, reading religious or self-help things, going on a run, replying to emails I don't like replying to, actually setting up a project, getting gifts for a friend, etc.
I also spend ten hours a week, amortized, on various self-love things. This can be visiting a museum, going on a walk to explore a new part of Boston, trying something scary and meaningful, going to church, reading, teaching myself things I wouldn't normally learning (e.g. astrophysics), etc.
For part of Kevin Time today, I wanted to journal moments during this past week that were special to me!
- I got lunch with a friend from ASPR and his friend on Monday, and that really made me happy. I was really happy that there are a lot of really genuine, kind, and curious people out there, and there are more wonderful people out there that I have yet to meet.
- When me and a friend left the dining hall on Tuesday, he lamented about wasting a bit of food, and I found that level of care inspiring.
- I really appreciate my Rhetoric (21W.747) teacher's enthusiasm into teaching the class, and her care into the comments she gave on one of my late assignments.
- I got a few meals with some really thoughtful people last week, who inspire me to become a better friend. I remember for parts of freshman fall, being in awe of just learning how to be a kinder friend and I feel like I've kind of lost that in the last few months, but I want to try my best to rekindle that through e.g. this.
- I auditioned for the improv comedy group here, and even though it didn't work out, I'm really grateful for the experience and learned that being funny does come with practice! I'm still doing some of the exercises they gave me.
- On Sunday, I meditated for a full hour! AN HOUR! Like dang bruh I am really proud of my past self :)))))))))))))))))))))))))) But I felt really really overflowing with joy and love and all that sappy stuff after in a way that's hard to explain. Then I did the same today: 7am meditation feels really good :)))
- I am really grateful to a friend who I got lunch with and helped me find my earbuds at Harvard. I haven't been able to text him this because my Messages app is often blocked these days, but I think he reads this blog so to open the fourth wall a little, I really do appreciate him a lot - he makes a ton of sacrifices for our friendship even though he also has a lot going on - it's super thoughtful and he's a really good friend.
- I have this older friend I hung out with a bit on Sunday and I thought he was really kind! He offered me a smoothie and it's kinda really cool to see him still be really passionate about some things enough to do side projects for them even after college.
- I got to lunch a decent amount about cooking/baking theory from a few friends today who I baked these really good muffins with, and also DH cook crew, and especially our cook crew leader for teaching me why we do the things we do. I also feel somewhat guilty about being late for the last two weeks, and I will not do that anymore! And related to baking a few friends I was baking with today are these really Christian and nice freshmen and it's really inspiring to see how wholesome and kind they are, and they inspire me to appreciate little things more - e.g. I thought it was cool how they gave a muffin to a friend who was going through it on a PSET.
- Related to appreciating little things more: I caught up with a few friends recently, and ended up staying up pretty late talking to one of them. At first I was kind of annoyed at myself for sleeping late, but the next morning I got a rly nice text with them abt how they enjoyed the conversation and I was like dang, I guess we did have a good conversation! And then I realized that I too often take things for granted and I want to appreciate connection, however trivial it might be, more.
- I played this game: ncase.me/anxiety and cried. What a lovely game!
- My research mentors are like the nicest people ever, it's actually insane. I love them and right now I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have so many amazing people believe in me when I hardly ever know what I'm doing, what the freak :))))))))))))))))))))))